Babar rises as Joe Root claims top spot in ICC Test Batting Rankings

31 July, 2024

The latest ranking updates saw Root reclaiming the number one spot after a year as he overtook New Zealand batter Kane Williamson on the back of his impressive performance in the home series against West Indies.

The right-handed Englishman finished the series as the highest run-scorer with 291 runs across four innings in the three-match series. He played a crucial 87-run knock in the first innings of the third Test.

With 872 points, Root is now 13 points clear of Williamson, who moved down to second position. Meanwhile, England batter Harry Brook dropped four places to seventh after scoring 197 runs in four innings against West Indies.

As a result of Brook’s slip, Babar Azam and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell are now tied for third, while Australia’s Steve Smith and India’s Rohit Sharma also gained one place to reach fifth and sixth respectively.

Meanwhile, England Test captain Ben Stokes jumped four places to reach 30th after hitting a quick half-century as an opener in the second innings of the third Test to guide his team to a ten-wicket victory.

He also moved one place up in the Test All-Rounder Rankings to reach sixth, while Chris Woakes gained three places to ninth spot.

On the other hand, in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings, Yashasvi Jaiswal moved up to fourth, while Shubman Gill reached a career-best 21st. Meanwhile, Pakistan batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan dropped one spot to fifth and sixth, respectively.

Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who had a forgettable series against India, lost his position as the number one all-rounder in T20 rankings. Hasaranga is now joint-third, while Australia’s Marcus Stoinis has reclaimed the No.1 spot.