Labuschagne goes atop ICC Test Rankings, Root drops down
What's the story
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne has displaced former England skipper Joe Root as the top-ranked Test batter. The ICC announced the same on Wednesday (December 7). Labuschagne went to the pinnacle, having scored twin centuries, including a double ton, in the recently-concluded opening Test against West Indies. His teammate Steve Smith has moved to second place. Here are further details.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Labuschagne scored a marvelous double century (204) in Perth and backed it up with an unbeaten 104. Australia won the contest by 164 runs. Meanwhile, Root returned with scores of 23 and 73 in the opening Test vs Pakistan. Though England recorded a 74-run win, Root slipped down to fourth place in the rankings. Pakistan skipper jumped to the third spot.
Lasbuschagne
Lasbuschagne scaling the heights
Labuschagne is closing in on a career-high rating. His brilliance against the Caribbean team helped him rise to a total of 935 rating points. The 28-year-old is just one rating point behind his best-ever rating of 936 which he attained earlier this year. He is on the verge of entering inside the top 10 ratings for Test batters of all time.
Rankings
Smith, Azam make significant jumps
Smith recorded an unbeaten 200 in Perth and backed it up with 20 not out. He now holds second place with a total of 893 rating points. With 879 points, Babar Azam holds third place. He returned with scores of 136 and 4 in the Rawalpindi Test. Meanwhile, Root (876) isn't far behind Azam and Smith. He would like to go up soon.
Rankings
James Anderson and Ollie Robinson climb up (Test rankings)
James Anderson, who took five wickets in Rawalpindi, has advanced to the third position in the Test bowling rankings with 840 rating points. His team-mate Ollie Robinson, who also scalped five wickets, has now entered the top-10 list. He now holds the eighth position with 754 rating points. Australian skipper Pat Cummins continues to lead the bowling charts with 887 rating points.
Gains
Rashid and Shakib make gains in ODI rankings
Having scalped four-fer in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka, Rashid Khan has climbed to the sixth spot in the ODI bowling rankings with 659 rating points. Shakib Al Hasan, who picked a five-for in the first India ODI, has advanced to ninth place in the bowling charts with 647 points. Trent Boult continues to top the charts with 752 points.
Kohli
Virat Kohli drops down
Indian ace Virat Kohli, who could only manage nine in the opening ODI against Bangladesh, has dropped down to the 10th place in the batting rankings. He boasts 691 rating points. The eighth position is now being occupied by NZ skipper Kane Williamson (700), who was among the runs in the India series last month. Babar continues to top this chart with 890 points.