Test Rankings: Chennai double century moves Root to third

 

England captain Joe Root is now third on the latest Test Ranking after his match-winning 218 in the first Test against India.

His impressive performance helped him advance two places.

In a related development, Kyle Mayers has become the first player to get the highest ever rating points for a debutant over his performance, while  Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali leads Pakistan pace resurgence. Hasan Ali had provided much delight to fans in the updated MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.

Root is being rewarded for his effort in a memorable 227-run victory in Chennai over India. The win keeps England in contention for the ICC World Test Championship final with 883 rating points now in their bag. This is the highest point reached since September 2017.

It could be recalled that Root had a great run in the sub-continent when he accumulated 684 runs in three Tests, two of which were in Sri Lanka.

The English cricketer is now ahead of Kohli for the first time since November 2017. He is, however, 36 points behind top-ranked Kane Williamson while trailing Steve Smith by only eight points.

Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne is also in the mix as he completes the top five slots. This shows the intense competition at the top with all of the above 850 rating points.

English opener Dom Sibley also gained some points in the latest rankings update. The batsman recorded 87 and 16 during the games, which helped him gain 11 places and reach 35th position.

English bowlers also recorded significant movement in the bowling rankings.  Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins tops the ranking.

English top bowler James Anderson also moved to third from sixth. The former number one is just four points behind compatriot Stuart Broad.

Babar Azam, Cheteshwar Pujara, Henry Nicholls, Ben Stokes,    David Warner completes the top ten in the batting ranking.

Tim Southee, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Holdercomplte the top ten in the bowling ranking.

 

Written by:  Oladipupo Mojeed