Harry Brook becomes No.1 test batsman in the world

England's Harry Brook has dethroned teammate Joe Root to reclaim the No. 1 ICC Test batter ranking. Meanwhile, Indian captain Shubman Gill jumped to eighth place following a blistering 126-run knock against Afghanistan

New Delhi: England batter Harry Brook has leapfrogged teammate Joe Root to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. Meanwhile, India captain Shubman Gill has climbed two places to eighth position following his commanding century against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, a match India won by an innings and 300 runs.

Brook surged back to the top of the rankings on the back of a crucial half-century during England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship clash at Lord’s. His gritty 56 was one of only two half-centuries scored in the entire match. It proved decisive enough to push Root down to third place after the veteran managed scores of just 1 and 8. Australia’s Travis Head has capitalized on the shake-up to climb into second spot.

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Brook, who originally scaled the rankings peak in December 2024, regains the crown just ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, scheduled to begin at The Oval on June 17. Further down the order, India’s skipper Gill secured eighth place after smashing a fine 126 against Afghanistan.

Several other batters enjoyed weekly gains in the longest format. England’s Ben Duckett jumped three places to 15th, wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith climbed five spots to joint-23rd, and New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips surged 15 places to 40th.

In the Test bowling charts, England speedster Gus Atkinson gained seven slots to break into the top 10 at tenth position, while simultaneously climbing to sixth among Test all-rounders. New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson (22nd) and England’s Ollie Robinson (23rd) re-entered the active rankings, while Kiwi paceman Nathan Smith jumped 16 places to 43rd.

The weekly update also brought significant movement in the ODI rankings. Pakistan wrist-spinner Abrar Ahmed rose two places to second among ODI bowlers after snapping up six wickets in his side’s series victory over Australia. Teammate Shaheen Shah Afridi climbed four spots to ninth after picking up seven wickets.

Elsewhere in the 50-over format, Australia’s Nathan Ellis improved 13 spots to 31st, while Bangladesh’s pace sensation Nahid Rana surged 23 slots to 24th. Among ODI batters, Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis (12th) and Janith Liyanage (22nd) made notable gains, alongside Bangladesh left-hander Tanzid Hasan, who moved up seven places to 33rd.