ICC Test Rankings: Steve Smith back in top three
Australia's batting mainstay Steven Smith has reclaimed his spot in the top three of the ICC Test Rankings. He replaced New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (862) in the latest rankings released on Wednesday. Now, two spots in the top three in the batters list are held by the Australians with Marnus Labuschagne sitting atop. England skipper Joe Root is occupying the second spot.
Why does it matter?
Smith scored 67 runs in the first innings of the Australia versus England fourth Test to break into the top three with 871 points. Root failed to impress at the SCG, scoring a duck and 24 runs in the first and second innings respectively. He retained his spot at number two. Labuschagne (924) hit 28 and 29 to maintain his distance with Root.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma are in the top 10
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retained their spots in the top ten. Kohli (740), who scored a gritty 79 runs in the Cape Town Test, is occupying the ninth spot while Rohit (781), is sitting at number five. Dean Elgar moved four places to finish at 10th. Dimuth Karunaratne (754) is sitting at sixth, followed by David Warner (753) and Babar Azam (750).
Conway and Latham gain big
New Zealand batters, Tom Latham, who scored a superb double-century in the second Test versus Bangladesh, has advanced two places to 11th. Meanwhile, Devon Conway, who amassed 244 runs in the series, gained 18 places to be 29th. Ross Taylor has signed off from Test cricket occupying the 28th place, having attained a career-best fourth position and 871 rating points in December 2013.
Khawaja re-enters the Test Rankings
Australia's Sydney hero Usman Khawaja has rocketed back into the Test Rankings, courtesy of his successive tons in the fourth Ashes Test. Riding on his 137 and 101* in the first and second innings respectively, he is 26th in the Test Rankings.
Jamieson moves up, Rabada slips
Kyle Jamieson (825) has jumped eight spots to finish at the third spot on the bowling list, courtesy of his match figures worth 6/114 in Christchurch. South African speedster Kagiso Rabada (810) has slipped to fifth. Pat Cummins (895) is sitting atop, followed by R Ashwin (861). Shaheen Afridi and James Anderson are placed at 4th and 6th spots respectively.
All-rounders Ashwin, Jadeja remain static
There is no movement in the ICC Test Rankings for All-rounders. India's Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja remain second and third respectively. Jason Holder is leading the list while Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is at fourth. Starc is sitting at the 5th spot while Ben Stokes is occupying 6th place. The next four spots are reserved by Jamieson, Cummins, Chris Woakes, and Colin de Grandhomme.
