ICC Test Rankings: In-form Joe Root back as No.1 batter, Trent Boult No.9 among top 10 bowlers
India Today
Marnus Labuschagne's reign as the highest-ranked Test batter in the world is over as England right-hander Joe Root claimed top spot in the latest ICC Men's Test Batter rankings.
Former England skipper Joe Root has regained the top spot in the ICC Test Player Rankings for batters after his 27th Test hundred en route to his team's win over New Zealand.
Root replaced Labuschagne, who rose to the top in December last year following knocks of 103 and 51 against England in Adelaide, but Root's recent run of form has seen the Australian usurped at the head of proceedings.
Root has already scored four centuries this calendar year and become just the second Englishman to score more than 10,000 Test runs and that has seen the 31-year-old jump in front of Labuschagne as the No.1 ranked batter in the world.
Joe Root reclaims No.1 spot Trent Boult bursts into top 10 Plenty of movement in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Test Player Rankings after the second #ENGvNZ match https://t.co/J6m5cEKRSA pic.twitter.com/CqV1mlBMmF
The Englishman now has a total of 897 rating points, five points more than Labuschagne in second place. Labuschagne may get the chance to regain top billing when Australia take on Sri Lanka in a two-match World Test Championship series away from home later this month, but Root has a busy period of Test cricket ahead of him too.
Root is currently in the middle of a three-match Test series against New Zealand, with England also hosting India for a one-off Test and South Africa for three matches over the coming months.
Australia's Steve Smith remains in third place in the latest Test rankings, with Pakistan captain Babar Azam and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson making up the top five.
