In the first test match against New Zealand at Lord’s, Joe Root scored a brilliant 115 and with this he strengthened his claim to the ICC rankings. It was an innings that helped Root complete 10000 runs in his Test career. He became the second Englishman and the 14th international player to do so. The 31-year-old Labuschagne is now just 10 points ahead of Root and will look to make the difference when the second Test between England and New Zealand begins in Nottingham on Friday.
With the rise of Root, it also sees a small reshuffle in the top five as Australia’s Steve Smith has dropped a spot to third in the latest rankings. Pakistan captain Babar Azam jumps one place to claim fourth place, while New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson – who managed just 2 and 15 at Lord’s – slips two places to fifth .
There are also some changes in the latest Test bowler rankings, with New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson being the biggest mover behind his six-wicket haul for the match against England. Jamieson moved up two places to third place, with India pacer Jasprit Bumrah (4th) and Pakistan’s Tejan Shah Afridi (5th) down one place each.
Australia captain Pat Cummins continues to be the top-order bowler with 901 ranking points, some 51 points ahead of veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from 850 points. Ashwin is second only to teammate Ravindra Jadeja in the all-rounder rankings, with Jamieson falling a spot to eighth in the latest ranking update.