Harry Brook has overtaken Joe Root to become the world’s No. 1 Test batter following his impressive performances in New Zealand. Brook scored 123 and 55 in the second Test, adding to his 171 in the first, which had previously elevated him to No. 2. Root, who had been the top-ranked batter since July after surpassing Kane Williamson, remains close behind, just one point away, thanks to his 106 in the second innings of the same Test. The race for the top spot is expected to be decided in the third Test, starting December 14 in Hamilton.
Brook, at just 25, has scored 2280 runs in 38 innings across 23 Tests, with eight centuries, including a mammoth 317 against Pakistan. His consistent performances have earned him high praise from Root, who called him “by far and away the best player in the world at the minute.”
Meanwhile, Travis Head and Temba Bavuma have made significant jumps in the rankings. Head’s 140 in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test helped him rise six places to fifth, while Bavuma’s Player of the Series performance against Sri Lanka has moved him up three spots to seventh. Marnus Labuschagne also rose three spots to 13th after a solid performance in the Adelaide Test.
In the bowler rankings, Jasprit Bumrah remains No. 1, but Kagiso Rabada, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins are close behind. Cummins’ seven-wicket haul in Adelaide moved him up to fourth, while Matt Henry jumped to ninth after taking four wickets in Wellington.
Leave a Reply