London: Joe Root, England’s renowned batsman, has overtaken New Zealand’s Kane Williamson to reclaim the top spot as the No.1 ranked Test batter in the latest rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Root’s exceptional performance in the recent Test series against the West Indies, where he scored 291 runs across three matches, propelled him back to the position he last held in 2021.

According to International Cricket Council, Root’s return to form was highlighted by his 87 runs in the final Test at Birmingham, enabling him to surpass Williamson, who now moves to second place. This marks a significant shift in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, with other notable movements including Pakistan’s Babar Azam and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell both rising to third place, Australia’s Steve Smith climbing to fifth, and India’s Rohit Sharma ascending to sixth.

England’s Test team saw additional shifts in rankings, with captain Ben Stokes climbing four places to 30th among Test batters. Bowlers Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson also made significant gains following strong performances in Birmingham, moving up to 20th and 46th, respectively. Jayden Seales of the West Indies notably improved seven spots, reaching a career-high equal 26th place on the bowler charts, after capturing 13 wickets in the series.

In the Test All-Rounder rankings, Stokes advanced one place to sixth, while Chris Woakes climbed three places to ninth, contributing to England’s solid standing in the ICC World Test Championship. Ravindra Jadeja of India continues to lead the All-Rounder rankings comfortably.

The latest T20I player rankings have also witnessed exciting changes, particularly for Indian players following their series sweep against Sri Lanka. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill moved up to fourth and 21st places, respectively, in the T20I batter rankings. On the bowlers’ side, Ravi Bishnoi re-entered the top ten, while teammates Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, and Mohammed Siraj saw significant improvements in their rankings.

In the T20I All-Rounder rankings, Australia’s Marcus Stoinis regained the No.1 spot, despite recent inactivity in 20-over cricket, overtaking Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga who now shares third place following a subdued performance against India.