Root ranked number two
England batsman Joe Root and Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath have moved up to take the second positions among batsmen and bowlers, respectively, in the ICC Test Player Rankings after their fine performances in recent matches.
Root’s knocks of 124 and four in the drawn opening match of a five-Test series against India in Rajkot have seen him overtake New Zealand captain Kane Williamson in the rankings for Test Batsmen.
Root, who was top-ranked in August 2015 during a home series against Australia and again two months later during a series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, is three points ahead of Williamson at 844 points and 42 points adrift of Australia captain Steve Smith.
England captain Alastair Cook, who had scores of 21 and 130 in Rajkot, has moved up one slot to 10th rank and his team-mates Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes have made significant gains after slamming first-innings centuries in Rajkot.
Ali has moved up six slots to reach 26th rank while Stokes has gained eight places to reach 32nd position.
Teenage debutant opener Haseeb Hameed has made an impressive entry in the rankings list at 64th position after scoring 31 and 82.
Among the India batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara has gained two places to reach 11th rank, captain Virat Kohli has moved up one place to 14th position and opener Murali Vijay has moved up two places to 23rd rank.
Sri Lanka batsman Dhananjaya de Silva (30th) and the Zimbabwe pair of Craig Ervine (56th) and Sean Williams (71st) have attained career-best rankings after their performances in the second and final Test between the two teams in Harare.
In the rankings for Test Bowlers, stand-in captain Herath’s match haul of 13-152 in Harare that helped Sri Lanka complete a 2-0 series win, have lifted him ahead of pace bowlers Dale Steyn of South Africa and James Anderson of England.
Herath has reached number-two rank in the past – in November 2012 and August 2014 – but now enjoys a career-best rating of 867 points and is only 14 points behind India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Another spinner to move up the rankings is England leg-spinner Adil Rashid who has gained 17 places to reach 61st position after taking seven wickets in Rajkot.
England’s Ben Stokes has reached a career-best third-ranking among all-rounders but is 56 points behind second-paced Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh and 106 behind Ashwin.
Latest
-
Women's Cricket
Maia Bouchier smashes 91 as England Women seal T20 series victory
England made 177 for three and then restricted New Zealand to 130 for seven.
-
County Cricket
Yorkshire boosted by Harry Brook and Joe Root’s early-season availability
Both players are not at the Indian Premier League.
-
England
Ollie Pope ‘itching’ to get back scoring runs after ‘frustrating’ tour of India
The England vice-captain hit a superb 196 in Hyderabad, but averaged only 14.75 in the next four Tests of the India series.
-
Women's Cricket
Ellyse Perry says Ashes Test at MCG ‘amazing’ but unsure about four-day return
Australia will host England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Women’s Ashes early next year.
-
County Cricket
Harry Brook set to return for start of Yorkshire’s County Championship campaign
Brook withdrew from England’s Test tour of India in January due to personal reasons.
-
England
England spinner Tom Hartley expects his exploits in India to be ‘life changing’
Hartley’s second-innings haul of seven for 62 in Hyderabad delivered one England’s greatest ever overseas victories.
-
Women's Cricket
Heather Knight urges more composure from England after New Zealand collapse
The tourists needed just 29 from 29 balls with eight wickets in hand.
-
Australia
On this day in 2018: Australia ‘sandpapergate’ ball-tampering controversy erupts
The incident led to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft being banned from playing for Australia.
-
England
Andrew Flintoff would be excellent England coach – Rob Key
The former national team captain will lead Northern Superchargers in The Hundred this summer.
-
County Cricket
We’re going to show you – Graham Onions feels Durham are back where they belong
The former England paceman is back as his home county as lead bowling coach as they return to Division One.