ICC Test Rankings: Kane Williamson returns to the top spot
New Zealand cricketer Kane Williamson has been ranked as the number one Test batter in the world according to the latest ICC rankings. This comes after former England captain Joe Root, who was previously at the top, scored only 10 and 18 in the Lord’s Test, causing him to slip four places in the rankings. Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head have retained their third and fourth positions respectively.
It is noteworthy that Kane Williamson has been out of international cricket since March 2023 due to an injury sustained while playing for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he has benefited from the underperformance of other top batters in the ongoing Ashes series.
Currently, Williamson holds 883 rating points, just one point ahead of Steve Smith, who is in excellent form and likely to regain the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings after scoring his 32nd Test century in the first innings at Lord’s. Rishabh Pant is the only Indian player in the top 10, occupying the tenth position, despite not having played Test cricket for a while. Among the players set to feature in the West Indies Tests, Rohit Sharma is the highest-ranked Indian at the 12th position.
In the bowlers’ rankings, Indian off-spinner Ravi Ashwin has maintained his top position, while Pat Cummins of Australia is in second place. James Anderson has slipped two places due to a poor performance in the first two Ashes Tests. Nathan Lyon also dropped to the seventh position after missing the Lord’s Test and the rest of the Ashes due to injury.
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