DUBAI – Pakistan skipper Babar Azam retained top slot as ODI batsman as the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued latest rankings on Wednesday.
The Pakistani batter is standing at first position with 886 points followed by South African player Rassie van der Dussen and Fakhar Zaman on second and third spots, respectively. Imamul Haq secured fourth position while India’s Shubman Gill stood at fifth place with 738 points.
However, the Pakistan captain slipped one place to sixth position in rankings for Test batsman. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson topped the chart with 883 points followed by Australia’s Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne on second and third place respectively.
Smith scored his 32nd Test century in a Player of the Match performance in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s and it helped push the classy right-hander within one rating point of the top ranking in second place on the updated batter rankings.
England star Joe Root relinquishes the premier position following scores of 10 and 18 against Australia, with injured New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson sliding up one place to claim the top ranking just one rating point ahead of Smith.
It is the first time Williamson has held the No.1 ranking since August 2021, with the Kiwi having first risen to the top back in November 2015.
Australia batters now occupy four of the top seven places on the Test batter rankings, with Marnus Labuschagne (third), Travis Head (fourth) and Usman Khawaja (seventh) all within striking distance of the No.1 spot ahead of the eagerly awaited third Ashes Test against England this week at Headingley.
Just 17 rating points separate the top five batters on the updated rankings list, meaning there could be more change ahead should players perform well in Leeds.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins closes in on India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin by jumping two places to second overall on the latest Test rankings for bowlers, while teammate Mitchell Starc also gains two spots to rise to 14th.
Cummins’ rise is offset by a two-place loss for veteran seamer James Anderson from second to fourth, while England newbie Josh Tongue improves a mammoth 27 spots to 59th after his impressive effort in London.
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