New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has been crowned number one Test batter in the world in the latest ICC rankings. Joe Root was at the top of the list in the previous update but the former England captain returned with scores of 10 and 18 in the Lord's Test. He has slipped a massive four places in rankings while Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head have retained their respective third and fourth rank.
Interestingly, Kane Williamson has not played any international cricket since March 2023 and last played in the opening game of Indian Premier League (IPL) where he got injured while playing for Gujarat Titans. He is currently recovering from the injury and has only been benefited from the no-show by top batters in the Ashes. Williamson currently at 883 rating points to his name and is only one point ahead of Steve Smith who was the star in the second Test.
Smith scored his 32nd Test century in the first innings at Lord's and on current form, looks set to reclaim his number one position in ICC Test rankings next week. The third Test at Headingley in the Ashes will also be 100th of his career and Smith would want to make it memorable. Among Indian players, only Rishabh Pant is in top 10 (10th place) despite not playing in the format for a long time. Among players who will feature in West Indies Tests, skipper Rohit Sharma is ranked highest at 12th position.
Ravi Ashwin retains his top position in bowlers rankings
Meanwhile, India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin has retained his top position in the latest bowlers rankings. Australia skipper Pat Cummins is at the second place while veteran James Anderson has slipped two places after a poor show in the first two Ashes Tests. Nathan Lyon also slipped to 7th place from 6th after not bowling in the second innings following an injury to him that not only ruled him out of Lord's Test but also from the remainder of the Ashes.
