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International cricket is back in action from last week, as teams have already started their respective World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 campaigns. Last week, England took on New Zealand at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, which hosted its 150th Test match. There has been a change in the ICC men’s Test batsman rankings after the Test match; Harry Brooke has claimed the top spot.
After the English Lions won the match by 115 runs, the batsmen’s rankings have changed as England’s vice-captain replaced Joe Root as the No. 1 Test batsman, while Harry Brook regained his place at the top of the Test batsmen’s list after scoring a valuable half-century during a low-scoring ICC World Test Championship first innings.
Nearly 40 wickets fell in 166 overs at Lord’s, with one wicket falling every 24.9 balls in a game dominated by the bowlers. It was a graveyard for the batsmen as even the ICC had declared it ‘unsatisfactory’ after the win.
Harry Brook overtakes Joe Root in rankings
Harry Brook, having been important for the Three Lions in the baseball era, was one of two batsmen to score a half-century in the match. Harry Brook’s inning of 56 runs was crucial for the team and helped him overtake Root to take the top spot among Test batsmen.
Joe Root managed only a further eight innings in the Tests, with Harry Brook restoring his earlier top position in December 2024. Root has slipped to third place as Australian batsman Travis Head has moved up to second despite not playing Test cricket in recent times. However, Root will look to reclaim the spot as he has two Test matches left against New Zealand.
Shubman Gill has come to 8th place
India captain Shubman Gill has moved up two places to eighth position after his 126-run innings against Afghanistan, while Ben Duckett has moved up three places to 15th, English wicketkeeper Jamie Smith has moved up five places to 23rd and Glenn Phillips has moved up 15 places to 40th after a good performance at Lord’s.
England fast bowler Gus Atkinson has moved up seven places to 10th overall in the Test bowlers’ list and has also improved his all-rounder ranking, taking him to sixth place in the Test all-rounders’ rankings. He has taken 26 wickets at an average of 9.5 in three matches at Lord’s. This reflects his talent in red-ball cricket at this venue.
Nahid Rana jumped after his brilliant performance against Australia
Bangladesh fast bowler Nahid Rana has jumped 23 places to 24th after taking four wickets in the series opener against Australia in Mirpur. Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis has moved up four places; Now her ranking is joint 12th and Zenith Liyanaj has reached 22nd position.
He is the big name in the updated list of ODI batsmen, while Bangladesh left-handed batsman Tanjid Hasan has also moved up seven places to 33rd position after scoring a brilliant half-century against Australia yesterday, which helped Bangla Tigers win the game by 86 runs (DLS method). This was their first win against Australia on home soil and their win against them after 21 years.
