Joe Root goes past Steven Smith to top ICC rankings for Test batsmen
Joe Root is back as number one in the latest Test batsmen ranking announced by International Cricket Council after the conclusion of 2nd Test match between Pakistan and England in Dubai. He scored a prolific 88 and 71 runs in the Dubai Test which helped him bounce back to the top spot.
The English batsman overtook Australia captain Steven Smith. He was trailing Smith by 13 points before the start of the Test series in UAE and now he leads him by 3 points. This also puts pressure on Root to perform in the final Test starting from Sunday in Sharjah.
Pakistan’s in-form batsman Younus Khan returned to the top five in fifth position following knocks of 56 and 118. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq were also awarded for their good performances in the Dubai Test, which went down to the wire and Pakistan eventually won by 178 runs.
Misbah has moved up five places to 11th following his scores of 102 and 87, and Asad Shafiq has achieved a career-high ranking of 12th after he scored 83 and 87. For this performance, Asad has earned 43 points, which, in turn, has put him ahead of Virat Kohli, Ross Taylor, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendon McCullum and Faf du Plessis.
India will be hosting South Africa in the four-match Test series starting from November 5. AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are at third and fourth position with 890 and 881 points respectively. Both players will be in action during the India series and rankings might shuffle based on their performances.
On the other part of the world, Australian cricket team will play host to their neighbours, New Zealand in the three-Test match series. They will also be starting with the first Test on the same date as India-South Africa series.
Here are the top 10 ranked Test batsmen in the world:
| Rank | Batsman | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Root | England | 913 |
| 2 | Steven Smith | Australia | 910 |
| 3 | AB de Villiers | South Africa | 890 |
| 4 | Hashim Amla | South Africa | 881 |
| 5 | Younus Khan | Pakistan | 854 |
| 6 | Angelo Mathews | Sri Lanka | 851 |
| 7 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 813 |
| 8 | Alastair Cook | England | 783 |
| 9 | David Warner | Australia | 775 |
| 10 | Chris Rogers | Australia | 761 |