Joe Root replaces Marnus Labuschagne as No. 1 Test batter in latest ICC rankings 

Seasoned England batter Joe Root has ended Marnus Labuschagne's reign as the No.1 ranked Test batter in the updated ICC rankings. Root (887) is the new No. 1 men’s Test batter, while Aussie Labuschagne (877) has slipped to third position.

Labuschagne took over as the world’s top ranked batter in men’s Test cricket in December last year and occupied the position for a little over six months. However, he hasn’t been in great form with the willow in recent months. Root, meanwhile, has been in excellent touch.

In the recently concluded first Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston, Root notched up his 30th hundred in red-ball crickey for England, going past Sir Don Bradman’s tally of 29 Test tons. Root followed up his unbeaten 118 in the first innings with 46 in the second. The efforts came in a losing cause, though, as Australia won the Test by two wickets.

Labuschagne, meanwhile, failed in both innings, registering scores of 0 and 13 to slip down tothird position. Experienced New Zealand batter Kane Williamson (883) has moved up two places to second.

Among other batters who featured in the opening Ashes Test, Travis Head (873) moved down one position to fourth place, while Steve Smith (861) dropped four places to sixth.

Australian opener Usman Khawaja (836), who was the Player of the Match at Edgbaston for his knocks of 141 and 65, has moved up to a career-best Test ranking of seventh.

Young England batter Harry Brook (701) also jumped five places to 13th position. Among Indians, Rishabh Pant is in tenth position, while captain Rohit Sharma is in 12th and Virat Kohli in 14th.

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Ravichandran Ashwin retains top spot among bowlers in ICC Test rankings

Looking at the Test bowling rankings for men, seasoned Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (860) is still at the top position, followed by England’s James Anderson (829), who managed a solitary wicket at Edgbaston.

South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada (825) moved up one place to third, while Australia captain Pat Cummins (824), who claimed four wickets in the first Ashes 2023 Test against England, is in fourth place.

England pacer Ollie Robinson (802) occupies fifth position; veteran Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon (799) is sixth, while experienced English paceman Stuart Broad (765) is also in the top ten.

Off-spinner Moeen Ali, who came out Test retirement for the Ashes, occupies the 52nd spot in the ICC Men’s Test ranking for bowlers.