Joe Root has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings after his stellar efforts helped England secure a 22-run victory over India at Lord's, according to the official website of the ICC.
Root, with 888 rating points, took back the No. 1 position from compatriot Harry Brook (862), thanks to scores of 104 and 40 as the hosts took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
This marks Root’s eighth stint at the top of the rankings. At 34, he is the oldest batter to hold the No. 1 spot since 37-year-old Kumar Sangakkara in December 2014.
Australian batter Steve Smith (816) also enjoyed a one-spot rise in the top 10, following a gritty effort in a low-scoring match in Jamaica against the West Indies. Smith scored 48 in Australia's victory, while teammate Cameron Green jumped 16 spots to 29th (619) after making scores of 46 and 42.
Bowlers thrived under lights with the pink ball in the Caribbean, with Scott Boland’s six-wicket haul — which included a hat-trick — propelling him to a career-best sixth position. Boland’s 62 Test wickets have come at an astonishing average of 16.53, with only George Lohmann and Sydney Barnes, who played over 110 years ago, having taken more wickets at a better average in Test history.
Mitchell Starc, meanwhile, didn’t move up the rankings (he remains 10th) but made ground on the bowlers above him, climbing to 766 rating points — just one behind Marco Jansen in ninth.
Australia now boasts five bowlers in the top 10: Pat Cummins (third) and Josh Hazlewood (fourth) retain their spots following the dismantling of the West Indies, while Nathan Lyon dropped one spot to eighth after making way for Boland in the match. This level of dominance in the rankings hasn’t been seen since England had six bowlers in the top 12 back in 1958.
West Indies pacers also impressed at Sabina Park. Shamar Joseph rose 15 spots to 14th, Justin Greaves jumped 15 spots to 65th, and Alzarri Joseph climbed two places to 29th.
At Lord’s, Washington Sundar was India’s most notable mover, jumping 12 spots to 46th in the bowling rankings.
In the latest T20I Player Rankings, bowlers were again the major movers. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara and Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain now sit 16th and 17th respectively, thanks to nine and 12-spot gains. Binura Fernando also entered the top 50 for the first time, rising 22 spots.
Among all-rounders, Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka moved up eight spots to 22nd, while Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza climbed two spots to sixth after his unbeaten 54 against South Africa.
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