by: TN Media News Pakistan: England’s batters have soared in the latest ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings following their commanding 241-run victory over the West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge. The standout performances, particularly from Joe Root and Harry Brook, have seen significant gains in their rankings.
Joe Root’s masterful innings, culminating in his 32nd Test century, has propelled him closer to the top spot in the Test batter rankings. Root’s performance earned him 12 additional rating points, placing him just seven points behind New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. With another strong performance in the upcoming third and final Test against the West Indies in Birmingham, Root could reclaim the No.1 ranking.
Harry Brook, another star in England’s lineup, made a notable leap in the rankings. The 25-year-old climbed four places to reach a career-best third position, surpassing renowned players such as Babar Azam, Daryl Mitchell, Steve Smith, and Rohit Sharma, following his century in the second innings at Nottingham.
Other English players also saw improvements. Ben Duckett rose six spots to 16th, and Ollie Pope jumped eight places to 21st, both benefiting from their solid contributions in the second Test.
On the West Indies side, there were positive movements in the rankings as well. Kraigg Brathwaite moved up two places to 40th, Joshua Da Silva advanced seven spots to 61st, and Kavem Hodge made a significant climb of 21 places to 75th.
In the bowling department, Chris Woakes made a notable return to the top 20, advancing four places following his six-wicket haul in the Trent Bridge match. Young spinner Shoaib Bashir also saw a significant rise, moving up 18 places to 53rd after his five-wicket performance in the second innings. For the West Indies, Jayden Seales gained 10 places, coming in at 34th after his six wickets during the Nottingham contest.
While there was little change in the rankings for the white-ball formats, Namibia’s players made notable progress in the ODI rankings. Left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz moved up four places to sixth in the ODI bowler rankings after his three-wicket haul against Scotland. Additionally, Namibia’s captain Gerhard Erasmus advanced one spot to fifth in the ODI all-rounder rankings, following his 63-run contribution and two wickets in the same match during the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in Dundee.
