Joe Root inches closer to number-one spot in latest ICC Test Rankings

Dubai [UAE], July 24 (ANI): England batter Joe Root moved seven points closer to top-ranked batter Kane Williamson in the latest ICC Test Rankings among batters issued on Wednesday.

England’s dominant performance in the second Test against the West Indies has seen a host of their star players make big gains on the latest ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.

Ben Stokes’ side cruised to an emphatic 241-run victory over the Caribbean team in the Trent Bridge contest and veteran batter Joe Root was among the many players to display their prowess as the right-hander scored his 32nd Test century to move within striking distance of Kane Williamson and the number one ranking for Test batters.

Root improved 12 rating points to close within seven rating points of the New Zealand veteran Williamson and could re-claim top billing with another strong showing with the bat during the third and final Test against the West Indies in Birmingham starting from Friday onwards.

Teammate Harry Brook is the big mover up the batter rankings, with the 25-year-old improving four spots to a career-best place of third. He surpassed Babar Azam, Daryl Mitchell, Steve Smith and Rohit Sharma in the process, following his century in the second innings in Nottingham.

England compatriots Ben Duckett (up six spots to 16th) and Ollie Pope (up eight places to 21st) also make some ground following solid contributions in the second Test, while the West Indies will be boosted by the improvements up the batter rankings made by Kraigg Brathwaite (up two places to 40th), Joshua Da Silva (up seven spots to 61st) and Kavem Hodge (up 21 rungs to 75th).

The most eye-catching move on the Test bowler rankings came from Chris Woakes, with the England pacer jumping four places and back inside the top 20 for the first time since September 2021 following his match haul of six wickets against the West Indies.

Young England spinner Shoaib Bashir improves 18 places to 53rd following his five-wicket haul in the second innings, while West Indies quick Jayden Seales gains 10 places and comes in at 34th after his six scalps during the Nottingham contest.

There was little change to the rankings in both white-ball formats, although a pair of Namibian players made some ground on the ODI rankings on the back of some good performances in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in Dundee.

Left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz gains four places to move to sixth on the list for ODI bowlers with a new career-high rating following his three-wicket haul against Scotland, while teammate and captain Gerhard Erasmus gains one spot to move to fifth on the list for ODI all-rounders after scoring 63 and claiming two wickets in the same match.