ICC Rankings: Joe Root reclaims top Test batter spot, Matt Henry shares top bowling spot with Jasprit Bumrah
New Delhi, June 24
England batter Joe Root and New Zealand seamer Matt Henry have risen to the top of the ICC Men's Test Player Rankings after the second match of their ICC World Test Championship series at The Oval, which the visiting side won by 253 runs to level the series 1-1.
Root begins his 12th stint as the No. 1 batter after scores of 46 and 77 helped him overtake team-mate Harry Brook and Australia's Travis Head to the top of the rankings, while Henry caught up with India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah at the summit of the bowling rankings after his match haul of 11-109, acccording to ICC Media release.
The Yorkshire pair of Root and Brook have now exchanged the top position six times over the past 18 months since Root overtook New Zealand's Kane Williamson, who has also represented Yorkshire.
Other batters to gain in the latest rankings update include New Zealand's centurions Glenn Phillips and Henry Nicholls, as well as Rachin Ravindra. Phillips has advanced eight spots to 31st position and Nicholls 13 places to reach 40th position, even as Ravindra has moved back into the top 10.
According to the ICC Media release, the bowling rankings see Henry catch up with Bumrah at 870 rating points, which is the second highest by a New Zealand bowler after Richard Hadlee, who peaked with 909 in 1985.
As only one New Zealand batter has reached a peak of more than 870 rating points - Kane Williamson with 919 in 2021 - Henry's points tally has only been exceeded by two Kiwis in Test history with either bat or ball.
Bumrah had occupied the top position on his own since overtaking Kagiso Rabada in November 2024.
Jofra Archar (up six places to 50th) and Jacob Bethell (up 29 places to 85th) are the other bowlers to move up the rankings after The Oval Test.
In the ICC Men's ODI Rankings, India captain Shubman Gill has progressed three spots to second position among batters after being named Player of the Series for an aggregate of 238 runs in the home series against Afghanistan that India won 3-0, according to the ICC Media release.
Left-handers Ishan Kishan (up 21 places to 43rd) and Yashaswi Jaiswal (up 84 places to 71st) have also progressed, while Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi is up four places to 52nd.
In the Men's ODI Bowling Rankings, India seam bowler Prasidh Krishna has moved from 92nd to joint-58th after his five-wicket haul in the final match, and Arshdeep Singh has gained 16 slots to reach 22nd position after finishing with five scalps in the series. Afghanistan off-spinner AM Ghazanfar has advanced three places to 71st position.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Happy to see Shubman Gill at number 2 in ODIs! He has been our most consistent batter across formats. Also, Arshdeep Singh moving to 22nd in bowling rankings is a positive sign for India's future. However, I wish we had someone in the top 5 for Test batting besides the usual suspects. We need more depth there. 🇮🇳
Root and Brook swapping the top spot six times in 18 months... that's some intense competition! But let's not forget, Bumrah has been the best for a reason. His consistency in all conditions is unmatched. Henry had a great match, but I still see Bumrah as the benchmark for fast bowling in Tests. 💪
Root is a machine, no surprise there. But seeing Matt Henry tie with Bumrah is a massive achievement for New Zealand. Richard Hadlee's 909 is still the peak, but 870 is elite company. India's bowling depth looks solid with Prasidh and Arshdeep climbing too. Great to see global competition driving the rankings!
Bumrah sharing the top spot is fine, but I feel our bowlers like Shami and Siraj are underrated in rankings. Still, credit to Henry—he bowled beautifully in that Oval Test. Also, Yashasvi Jaiswal jumping 84 spots in ODI rankings! The future is bright for Indian cricket. 🚀
Finally some recognition for Prasidh Krishna! His five-wicket haul in the final ODI against Afghanistan was brilliant. Arshdeep's rise is also
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.