Former English skipper, Joe Root has regained the no.1 spot in the Test as per the new ICC rankings. With back-to-back scintillating centuries against NZ in the ongoing test series, he took over Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne for the top spot.
Root first took the number 1 spot in August 2015 and at last held the position in December 2021, when Labuschagne overtook him.
Root has already made 4 centuries this year and become just the second Englishman to amass over 10,000 Test runs. The Englishman presently has 897 rating points, five ahead of Labuschagne, who is at the second position. Labuschagne will get a chance to reclaim the top spot when Australia faces Sri Lanka in a two-match series away from home later this month. Nonetheless, Root also has a challenging Test season ahead of him. England has one Test left in the current series vs NZ, followed by 1 test against India in July and three matches against South Africa in the coming months.
Current ICC rankings
So far, Root has been No. 1 in Tests for 163 days. Others who have secured the top spot in recent years include Steve Smith (1,506 days), Virat Kohli (469 days), and Kane Williamson (245 days). Steven Smith sits in third place, with Pakistani captain Babar Azam in fourth. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson in fifth. India’s Rohit Sharma is ranked eighth, while Virat Kohli is ranked tenth.
In the bowling department, Pat Cummins is right up the table followed by Indian spinner Ashwin at 2. Jasprit Bumrah at three, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi (fourth), and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada (fifth). Trent Boult has moved up four spots to the in position.