ICC Test Rankings: Harry Brook becomes second-ranked batter
What's the story
England's Harry Brook has made a significant stride in the latest ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings. His stellar performance in the low-scoring Ashes Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground played a key role in his rise. Brook, England's white-ball skipper, ascended to second spot behind compatriot Joe Root with scores of 41 and 18* in Melbourne. English seamer Josh Tongue rose in the bowling rankings.
Brook
Brook surpasses these players
Brook was pivotal in England's historic win against Australia at MCG. Despite being 3-0 down, England celebrated the victory as it was their first on Australian soil since January 2011. Brook's counter-attacking first-inning knock made an impact in the low-scoring encounter that ended in two days. As a result, he surpassed Steve Smith (5th), Travis Head (4th), and Kane Williamson (3rd) to become the second-ranked batter in the ICC Test Rankings.
Information
Brook gets to 3,000 Test runs
In the first innings at MCG, Brook also completed 3,000 runs in Test cricket. He became the fastest batter to complete 3,000 Test runs in terms of balls faced (3,468). Overall, he attained the feat in his 57th innings.
Career high
Tongue's stellar performance propels him to career-best ranking
England seamer Tongue's Player of the Match performance, which included figures of 5/45 and 2/44, has propelled him up 13 places to a career-best 30th position in the bowling rankings. His fellow seam bowlers Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse also made progress in the rankings after their contributions helped England secure a four-wicket victory. Atkinson moved up four slots to 13th while Carse climbed six places to rank at 23rd.
Aussie ascent
Australian bowlers reach career highsÂ
On the other hand, Australian seamers Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland also reached career highs. Starc reached a career-best second position in the bowling rankings. He took four wickets in the match. Boland, who scalped five wickets, ascended to seventh position. According to the ICC, he crossed 800 rating points for the first time in his career.