New Zealand pacer Matt Henry shares the top Test bowling ranking with Jasprit Bumrah, while Joe Root regains the No.1 Test batter position after England-New Zealand series action.
A major reshuffle in the ICC Men’s Player Rankings has followed the thrilling ICC World Test Championship contest between England and New Zealand at The Oval, with Matt Henry and Joe Root reclaiming the top spots in their respective categories.
New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry has become the joint No.1 ranked Test bowler alongside India’s Jasprit Bumrah after producing a remarkable 11-wicket performance in the second Test against England. His efforts helped the Black Caps level the three-match World Test Championship series 1-1.
Henry’s rise marks the end of a 36-year wait for New Zealand in the Test bowling rankings. The 34-year-old is only the third Kiwi to hold the No.1 position after Jack Cowie in 1947 and legendary all-rounder Richard Hadlee, who dominated the rankings from 1984 to 1990.
Henry currently has 870 rating points, with only Hadlee and Kane Williamson having achieved higher ratings among New Zealand players.
Meanwhile, England veteran Joe Root reclaimed the No.1 position among Test batters for the 12th time in his distinguished career.
Scores of 46 and 77 against New Zealand enabled Root to move ahead of teammate Harry Brook and Australia’s Travis Head despite England suffering a heavy 253-run defeat at The Oval.
Several New Zealand batters also made notable gains in the Test rankings. Rachin Ravindra climbed to 10th place, Daryl Mitchell moved up to 16th, Glenn Phillips advanced to 31st, and Henry Nicholls surged to 40th following impressive performances in England.
In ODI rankings, India’s Shubman Gill rose to second place and now trails Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan by just 24 rating points. Ishan Kishan jumped 21 spots to equal 43rd, while Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi advanced to 52nd.
Indian bowlers Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar also made significant gains after the ODI series against Afghanistan.
In T20Is, Australia captain Mitch Marsh climbed to ninth among batters, while Nathan Ellis rose to seventh in the bowling rankings following Australia’s 3-0 series sweep over Bangladesh.
Despite the whitewash, Bangladesh players Towhid Hridoy, Saif Hassan and spinner Nasum Ahmed registered notable improvements in the latest ICC rankings.
