LONDON: England’s Joe Root has ascended to the pinnacle of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, following an impressive performance that led to a 22-run victory over India at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. Root, with 888 rating points, overtook his fellow countryman Harry Brook, who holds 862 points, thereby clinching the No.1 position. Root’s innings of 104 and 40 runs were instrumental in helping England secure a 2-1 lead in the ongoing five-match series.
This marks the eighth time Root has claimed the top spot in the rankings. At 34, he is the oldest player to reach the summit since Kumar Sangakkara did so at age 37 in December 2014.
Meanwhile, Australian batsman Steve Smith also experienced an upward movement in the rankings, now sitting at ninth with 816 points. Smith’s resilient effort of 48 runs in a low-scoring match against the West Indies in Jamaica contributed to his rise. His teammate, Cameron Green, made significant strides, jumping 16 spots to 29th with scores of 46 and 42.
The pink-ball Test in the Caribbean saw bowlers shine, particularly Australia’s Scott Boland, who took six wickets, including a hat-trick, propelling him to a career-best sixth in the rankings. Boland’s 62 Test wickets have been claimed at an average of 16.53, a feat surpassed only by George Lohmann and Sydney Barnes from over a century ago.
Mitchell Starc, another Australian bowler, maintained his 10th position in the rankings, although his performance brought him within one point of surpassing Marco Jansen, who is in ninth place. Australia boasts five bowlers in the top ten, a level of dominance not seen since England’s six bowlers ranked in the top 12 in 1958.
The West Indies’ bowlers also made gains at Sabina Park, with Shamar Joseph, Justin Greaves, and Alzarri Joseph climbing the rankings. In the Lord’s Test, Washington Sundar was the most significant mover for India, advancing 12 spots to 46th.
In the latest T20I Player Rankings, bowlers from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh made notable advancements, with Nuwan Thushara and Rishad Hossain moving to 16th and 17th, respectively. Binura Fernando entered the top 50 for the first time, while Dasun Shanaka and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza experienced upward movements in the T20I All-Rounders rankings.