ICC Test Rankings: Marnus Labuschagne replaces Joe Root as No 1 batter

Joe Root’s reign at the top of the ICC Test Rankings among the batters has been halted by Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. The Aussie registered scores of 204 and 104* against the West Indies during the first Test in Perth to scale the summit. Root had taken over the top spot during a golden run with the bat over the most recent English summer. But he saw mixed performance with the bat in England’s historic first Test win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Labuschagne has moved to 935 rating points, one behind his best-ever, that also bolstered Australia’s chances of playing the ICC Test Championship final next year. Also moving up the charts was Steve Smith, now occupying second spot, with Babar Azam in third and Root in fourth place. Smith hit a double century of his own against the Windies during Australia’s first innings in Perth. Rishabh Pant, on 801 rating points, and Rohit Sharma, on 746 rating points, are the only two Indians in top-10. Among the bowlers, Australia’s Pat Cummins has maintained his commanding lead at the top. He occupies the top spot with 887 rating points with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin right behind on 842 rating points. England bowlers, who played a pivotal role in the Rawalpindi Test win, have been rewarded for their strong show. James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, who took five wickets apiece, have moved to third and eighth place respectively. Anderson is on 840 rating points and Robinson on 754 rating points. India’s rain curtailed series against New Zealand has seen little movement with just one ODI being played fully. Pacer Trent Boult has held on to his place as the No 1 ranked ODI bowler, with fellow Kiwi quick Matt Henry gaining one place to fourth. The only change in the latest rankings for ODI batters saw New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson rising two spots to eighth and Kohli dropping two places to 10th as a result. After the first ODI between India and Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan improved seven spots to ninth in the ODI rankings due to his five-wicket haul in Mirpur. Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.