Joe Root has replaced Marnus Labuschagne as the new No.1 ranked Test batsman in the latest ICC Men’s Test batting rankings released on Wednesday.
Labuschagne held the numero uno spot for over six months since rising to the top in December 2023. However, Root with his latest 30th Test century against Australia in the thrilling opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston has snatched the top spot from the Australian middle-order batsman.
With scores of an unbeaten 118 and 46 in Birmingham that came in a losing cause, Root climbed five places to be ranked as the No.1 Test batsman. While Labuschagne dropped to third after a not-so-impressive outing in the Ashes opener, veteran New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson occupies the second spot having jumped two places.
Along with Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head too lost their places with Smith dropping four spots and moving to sixth and Head down one place to be placed at fourth. Babar Azam of Pakistan completes the fifth spot.
Australian opener Usman Khawaja, who was awarded the Player of the Match for his batting heroics rose to a new career-best ranking of seventh with Rishabh Pant being the only Indian to be in the top 10. India skipper Rohit Sharma is placed 12th while Virat Kohli takes the 14th position.
In the bowling chart, India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to occupy the top spot that is followed by veteran England pacer James Anderson, South African pacer Kagiso Rabada and Australian skipper Pat Cummins.
England pacers Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad find themselves in the top 10 while spinner Moeen Ali - who played his first Test with a blister on his spinning finger - after almost two years against Australia returns to the rankings by occupying the 52nd spot.
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