Joe Root topples Marnus Labuschagne as World No. 1 batter in the latest ICC Test Rankings
After his outstanding performance with the bat in the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston against Australia, Joe Root ousted Marnus Labuschagne from the top place in the ICC Rankings for men’s Test batters. Root dethroned the Australian star, who had held the position for just over six months, to give up his place at the top of the batting statistics.
As the Ashes 2023 series got underway, Joe Root continued his incredible batting record by scoring an undefeated 121 against Australia. He followed it up with 46 in the second innings, but on Tuesday, June 20, Australia defeated England in an exciting match by two wickets, negating his achievements.
Root, who promoted Bazball despite England’s setback, was recognised for his dependable batsmanship for England. He now occupies first place with 887 points.
“The best ever from England” – Fans hail Joe Root for becoming new No. 1 ranked ICC Test batter
Fans on Twitter were thrilled to see Joe Root regain the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings. Here are some of the reactions:
Meanwhile, Steve Smith fell four spots following his dual failure in the first Ashes Test, while Travis Head, who scored fifty in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test, slipped to No. 4 in the batting statistics. Smith’s performance fell short of the pre-series expectations, especially after scoring a hundred against India in the WTC 2023 final earlier in June. Smith only managed scores of 16 and 6.
Ravichandran Ashwin Maintains Top Spot Supremacy
Ravichandran Ashwin has maintained his supremacy at the top spot in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings.
Ashwin, who was ignored for the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month in London, remained the world’s No. 1 bowler with 860 points, followed by England’s James Anderson at second with 829 points.
Among Indian bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah (772) and Ravindra Jadeja (765) occupied the eighth and the ninth spot respectively with no change in their rankings.
India’s batting mainstay Virat Kohli slipped down one spot to occupy the 14th place, while captain Rohit Sharma was placed at 12th place.
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