England captain Joe Root new number one Test batsman in the world; Root has scored three centuries in the ongoing series against India; Root overtakes New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson as the top-ranked Test batsman; England bowler James Anderson up to fifth in Test bowler rankings
Last Updated: 01/09/21 10:09am
Joe Root has been in masterful form scoring 1,398 runs in 11 matches this calendar year
England captain Joe Root has returned to the top of the ICC Test batting rankings for the first time in six years.
Root has scored centuries in all three Test matches against India this summer and is the series’ top run-scorer with 507 runs at an average of 126.75, heading into Thursday’s fourth Test at The Oval.
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His outstanding form in 2021, which has seen him hit six centuries and one fifty, sees him overtake New Zealand captain Kane Williamson to become the top-ranked Test batsman.
Root began the year ranked ninth in the charts with a rating of 738, having failed to score a single century in 2020.
But the 30-year-old, who has scored 1,398 runs at an average of 69.90 in 11 matches this year, has now achieved a rating of 916 – just one below his career-best 917 achieved in August 2015 when he first reached the rankings summit.
Joe Root explains how he overcame some of the challenges within his game and reflects on his recent incredible form.
In climbing to the top of the charts, Root has overtaken India captain Virat Kohli, Australia duo Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith and Williamson, with Root the only batsman to score more than 800 runs this year.
The run-scoring burden that sits on Root’s shoulders for England is exemplified by the fact Ben Stokes, currently on an indefinite hiatus, is England’s next batsman on the list at number 16, while of the players currently in the squad, Rory Burns sits 24th.
For the first time in almost four years, Kohli is not his side’s top-rated batsman. After just one half-century in seven innings since arriving in England, he has been usurped by opener Rohit Sharma at number five.
Among the bowlers, former world number one James Anderson is England’s leading name, back up to number five in a list led by Australian Pat Cummins, while Ollie Robinson’s player of the match performance at Headingley sees him jump up to 36th place after only four Tests.
