Former England Captain Joe Root on Wednesday dethroned Australia's Marnus Labuschagne to claim the top spot on the latest ICC Test Rankings for batters in the longest format. Root managed to go back to No. 1 after his hundred in a losing cause in the first Ashes 2023 Test against Australia at Edgbaston this week.
Root proved his class once again he scored his 30th Test hundred on Day 1 of the Test but his team still ended up on the losing side despite having the upper hand in the match till the final session of Day 5.
Root scored 118 not out and 46 in both innings while Labuschagne managed a golden duck and 13 to drop down two places to third.
Travis Head also fell a place like Labuschagne to fourth while his teammate Steve Smith, who was ranked No. 2, has slipped to sixth from second.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, who hasn't played any cricket since his ACL injury in March this year, has climbed up to grab the second position.
Usman Khawaja, who was the Player of the Match in the Edgbaston Test, has broken into the top-10 and now occupies a career-best seventh position.
Not much change among bowlers
There wasn't nearly as much movement in the updated rankings for bowlers, with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin maintaining his lead over England veteran James Anderson, South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada and Australia captain Pat Cummins at the head of the list.
England duo Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad both rise one place inside the top 10, while teammate Moeen Ali returns to the rankings in 52nd spot after he answered an SOS from skipper Ben Stokes to play his first Test in almost two years against Australia.
