Babar Azam Drops In The ICC Batting Rankings

Babar Azam has dropped down to one place in the ICC Men’s Test Player rankings as several key English players rise in the Men’s Test Player rankings after victory against the West Indies.

Harry Brook also made notable progress, climbing four spots to reach a career-best third place in the batter rankings after England defeated West Indies in the second Test.

The team, led by Ben Stokes, secured a commanding 241-run victory at Trent Bridge. Veteran batsman Joe Root shone brightly, scoring his 32nd Test century, which propelled him closer to the top of the Test batter rankings, currently held by New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

Root gained 12 rating points and is now just seven points behind Williamson. Another stellar performance in the upcoming third Test in Birmingham could see Root reclaim the number one spot.

Harry Brook also made significant strides, advancing four spots to reach a career-best third place in the batter rankings. His outstanding century in the second innings at Nottingham allowed him to surpass Babar Azam, Daryl Mitchell, Steve Smith, and Rohit Sharma.

Other England players also saw improvements in their rankings. Ben Duckett moved up six spots to 16th, and Ollie Pope jumped eight places to 21st following strong performances in the second Test.

For the West Indies, Kraigg Brathwaite advanced two places to 40th, Joshua Da Silva climbed seven spots to 61st, and Kavem Hodge made a notable leap of 21 places to 75th.

In the Test bowler rankings, Chris Woakes re-entered the top 20 for the first time since September 2021, thanks to his six-wicket haul against the West Indies.

Young England spinner Shoaib Bashir improved by 18 places to 53rd after his five-wicket haul in the second innings, while West Indies’ Jayden Seales gained 10 places to reach 34th following his six wickets in the Nottingham Test.