Australia star and newly-crowned No.1 Test batter in the world Marnus Labuschagne has added to his resume by drawing level with India great Virat Kohli on the all-time list and bringing up a new career-high rating on the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings.
Labuschagne has consolidated his position at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings with a career-best 937 rating points after compiling his third three-figure knock in the two-match ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against the West Indies. The right-hander amassed a whopping 502 runs for the two-match series, with his magnificent knock of 163 during the first innings of the second Test in Adelaide helping Labuschagne join Kohli on a career-high rating of 937 points.
Labuschagne, who had achieved the rare feat of scoring a double-century and a century in the same Test during the first match in Perth last week, notched 163 in the first innings of the second Test in Adelaide and bettered his previous high of 936 rating points attained in March.
The 28-year-old now has a lead of 62 rating points over second-placed Steve Smith and is tied with Virat Kohli for the 11th-best rating points ever in the list led by Australia great Don Bradman, who went as high as 961 rating points. Smith is second in that list with 947 rating points while Ricky Ponting (fifth with 942) is the third Australian in the top 10.
Travis Head is back in the top 10 after his Player of the Match effort of 175 and 38 not out helped record a 419-run win over the West Indies to consolidate his team’s top position in the WTC points table. Head has gained six slots to reach seventh position, in the process overtaking the India pair of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli among others.
In the latest weekly update that also considers performances in the second Test of the WTC series between England and Pakistan, Harry Brook (up 15 places to 55th) and Ben Duckett (up 60 places to 67th) have moved up the rankings for England, while Saud Shakeel has progressed 33 places to 61st position.
In the rankings for Test bowlers, England spinner Jack Leach has gained two slots to reach 31st position after grabbing five wickets in the match, while seamers James Anderson (up one place to second), Ollie Robinson (up two places to sixth) and Mark Wood (up eight places to 34th) too have advanced. Anderson is back in the top two for the first time since February 2019 while Robinson has crossed the 800-point mark for the first time.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon (up two places to 13th) and fast bowler Scott Boland (up four places to 45th) have also progressed while Pakistan off-spinner Abrar Ahmed has entered the rankings in 60th place after a sensational debut in Multan that saw him finish with an 11-wicket haul.
In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, Kohli has moved up two places to eighth position after scoring 113 in the final ODI against Bangladesh in Chattogram, while Shreyas Iyer has advanced from 20th to 15th with a score of 82 in the second match of the series in Dhaka.
Left-handed opener Ishan Kishan, who recorded the fastest ODI double-century in the final match, has rocketed 117 places to 37th position. Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah is up two places to 35th. The bowlers to gain from the two ODIs in Bangladesh include Shakib al Hasan (up one place to eighth) for the home side and fast bowler Mohammad Siraj (up four places to 22nd) for India. Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz has moved up three places to third in the all-rounders’ list. (ANI)
