Joe Root Reclaims Top Spot in ICC Test Batting Rankings, Labuschagne Drops to Third

England's star batsman, Joe Root, has regained his position as the top-ranked Test batter, replacing Australia's Marnus Labuschagne in the latest update of the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings released on Wednesday.

Root's outstanding performance in the first Ashes Test in Birmingham, where he scored an unbeaten 118 runs, his 30th Test century, and 46 runs in both innings, propelled him five places up the rankings. The 32-year-old now holds the prestigious title of the number one-ranked Test batter in the world.

Labuschagne, who struggled against England with scores of 0 and 13, has slipped to third place in the rankings. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Kane Williamson, who is currently out due to an ACL injury, has climbed two places to secure the second spot.

Labuschagne's fellow Australian teammates, Travis Head (dropping one place to fourth) and Steve Smith (sliding down four spots to sixth), have also lost ground in the rankings. The competition among the top six players is incredibly tight, with just 26 rating points separating them, making it one of the closest battles in recent times.

Australia's opener, Usman Khawaja, who was named Player of the Match for his exceptional performance against England, has achieved a career-best rating and now sits in seventh place overall. Additionally, young English batter Harry Brook has experienced a significant boost in his Test career, climbing five places to 13th in the latest rankings.

In the bowling rankings, India's spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to hold the top spot. However, England's pace duo of Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad have both risen by one place within the top 10. Robinson now occupies the fifth position, nestled between fourth-placed Pat Cummins and sixth-placed Nathan Lyon.

In other rankings, Oman's captain, Zeeshan Maqsood, has advanced two places to third overall in the list of all-rounders in men's ODIs. Maqsood's valuable contribution of 59 runs and a wicket during Oman's upset victory against Ireland in the ODI World Cup Qualifiers propelled him up the rankings. The left-arm spinner also rose five places to 40th in the ODI bowlers' rankings.

USA's left-arm pacer, Saurabh Netravalkar, achieved a career-high rating and leaped five places to 18th overall in the bowlers' rankings. He becomes the first USA player to enter the top 20 in either batting or bowling in the ODI rankings. Ireland's seamer, Josh Little (up seven spots to equal 32nd), and UAE's spinner, Aayan Afzal Khan (up 10 places to 37th), also made notable progress in the bowlers' rankings.

Several batters have also seen significant improvements in their rankings, including Sri Lanka's Kariyawasa Asalanka (up three places to 40th), Oman's right-handed batter Aqib Ilyas Sulehri (up four spots to 51st), and Zimbabwe's veteran Sean Williams (up five places to equal 53rd).