Joe Root in action for England cricket team© AFP
England’s star batter Joe Root has further cemented his place among the all-time greats by achieving a new career-high rating on the latest ICC Men’s Test Batter Rankings. Root’s extraordinary knock of 262 during England’s crushing victory over Pakistan in the first Test in Multan has propelled him to a personal best of 932 rating points. This achievement surpasses his previous high of 923 points, placing him among an elite group of only 16 players in the history of Test cricket who have reached a higher mark. Root’s dominant position at the top of the rankings now sees him lead by over 100 points, with teammate Harry Brook climbing 11 places to share second place with New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.
Brook’s meteoric rise comes after his remarkable triple-century in the same match, where he and Root combined for a record-breaking 454-run partnership for the fourth wicket. England’s Ben Duckett also made a notable leap, moving up five spots to 14th in the Test batter rankings after his composed 84 against Pakistan.
For Pakistan, Salman Agha and captain Shan Masood gained ground as well, with Salman jumping 11 places to 22nd and Masood climbing 12 places to share 51st.
On the bowling front, England’s Gus Atkinson (up three places to 23rd) and Jack Leach (up nine places to 28th) benefited from their wicket-taking performances, while Root’s versatility as a player was recognised as he moved up to third on the Test all-rounder rankings.
The T20I rankings also saw a shake-up following India’s home series against Bangladesh and the opening matches of West Indies’ clash with Sri Lanka. West Indies opener Brandon King surged four places to eighth in the T20I batter rankings, while Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka moved up three spots to 12th.
Among T20I bowlers, West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie jumped to second place, trailing only England’s Adil Rashid, with Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana climbing five spots to reach fifth.
India’s Ravi Bishnoi made strides as well, moving up four places to eighth, while Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed soared 11 spots to land at 19th on the T20I bowling list.
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