Kane Williamson is new no.1 ranked Test batter as Steve Smith moves closer; R Ashwin firm at top spot

Harry Tector of Ireland moved to sixth spot in ICC ODI batting rankings.

In the latest update of the ICC Players rankings, Kane Williamson has toppled Joe Root to become the new no.1 ranked Test batter in the world on July 5, 2023. However, Australia’s Steve Smith also moved to 2^nd spot and is just one point behind the Kiwi captain.

This is the sixth stint at the top for Williamson, who first attained the number one position in November 2015 and was last at the top in August 2021. Meanwhile, Joe Root has slipped to the no.5 spot after scores of 10 and 18 in the second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s.

Australia batter Steve Smith has made rapid progress toward the top of the Test rankings after the second England-Australia Test at Lord's. He made 110 and 34 and was named the Player of the Match.

The race for the top positions in the list is bound to remain interesting in the coming days as Smith is just one point behind Williamson's 883 rating points after the latest weekly update, while third-placed Marnus Labuschagne (873) and Travis Head are also separated by just one point.

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In the bowling rankings, India’s R Ashwin continues to be the no.1 ranked bowler, but Australia captain Pat Cummins has moved closer to no.1 spot. The senior off-spinner has 860 points and the Aussie speedster has 826 points.

Another Indian who has remained static at number one is Ravindra Jadeja, who leads the all-rounders' list with 434 points. While Ashwin too remains in the second spot, Akshar Patel has dropped to fifth among all-rounders.

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Rishabh Pant, who has been out of action since his car accident in December last year, is the top-ranked Indian batter at number 10. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli occupy the 12th and 14th spots respectively.

Shubman Gill is ranked fifth in the ODI rankings while Kohli (eighth) and Rohit (10th) are the other two Indian batters in the top 10. Mohammed Siraj is the lone Indian in the top 10 in the bowling chart at number two.

Ireland’s Harry Tector moved to the sixth spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings, thanks to his 60 runs against Nepal in the seventh-place play-off game of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 in Harare.

(PTI inputs)