Joe Root climbs to No. 2 in ICC Men's Test batting rankings following the end of the Ashes series; Labuschagne slumps to 5th spot
Star England batter Joe Root jumped one spot in the ICC Men's Test batting rankings after scoring 412 runs in the 2023 Ashes. New Zealand's Kane Williamson remains at the top spot with 883 points, despite having not played a Test since March 2023.
Marnus Labuschagne, meanwhile, dropped three positions and is now ranked fifth. The Australian batter was the No. 1-ranked batter in the format till June 21.
Labuschagne struggled to adapt to English conditions in the Ashes, which began with a golden duck. While he recovered by scoring a crucial ton in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, the Aussie still had a poor series by his lofty standards. He scored 328 runs in 10 innings, including one fifty and one hundred.
Fellow Australian batter Travis Head also dropped two spots to hold the sixth rank while Ashes 2023 top-scorer Usman Khawaja jumps one spot up to seventh in the standings.
Harry Brook made a huge statement with a number of impactful performances in the drawn 2-2 series. The English youngster jumped one spot to ninth after scoring 363 runs in the middle order for his side.
The switch has resulted in Indian skipper Rohit Sharma dropping down to the 10th spot. The right-handed batter, who scored a ton in India's win over West Indies in the first Test, is the highest-ranked Indian on the list.
Among the bowlers, Australia's man of the series for the Ashes, Mitchell Starc, moves two spots up to the 12th in the rankings after picking up 23 wickets in four Tests.
Stuart Broad, on the other hand, finishes his career in fourth spot, making a jump from his previous rank of eighth after ending up as England's leading wicket-taker in the 2023 Ashes.
Indian players make some strides in the rankings for their performances in the West Indies
Recently crowned Player of the Series in the three-match ODI rubber against West Indies, Ishan Kishan gained 15 places to claim the 45th rank in the standings for ODI batters. The southpaw scored three consecutive fifties in India's 2-1 series win.
Ravichandran Ashwin retains his spot as the No. 1-ranked bowler following a prolific Test series campaign in the Caribbean. The off-spinner claimed 12 wickets in India's mammoth win in the first Test in Dominica.
Fellow Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav also made a serious jump from 22nd to 14th in the ODI rankings after picking up seven wickets in three matches.