Australia’s opening batter, Travis Head, lost his top spot in the latest ICC Test Batting Rankings, and the pole position now belongs to England’s Harry Brook. The latest update was unveiled by the ICC on Wednesday, and it sees the left-hander drop four spots, now in fourth position. Brook is followed by Joe Root and Steve Smith in the second and third positions, respectively. Brook is currently 12 points ahead of the next-placed Root, and both England batters will get a chance to consolidate their position in the three-match series against Pakistan.
There are just 33 rating points between Brook, Root, Smith and Head, and further movement is expected in the top four with the matches between England-Pakistan and Australia-Bangladesh on the radar.
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This is the fourth time that Brook has achieved the top spot in the Test rankings, with the previous one coming in December 2024. Speaking of Head, he managed only scores of 22 and 17 in Darwin, where Bangladesh defeated Australia by nine wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Smith, who returned with 71 and 44, did enough to move up to the third position, behind Brook and Root.
On the other hand, India pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah remains at the summit of the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings, despite missing the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He would not be able to add to his points tally as he has already been ruled out of the entire Sri Lanka tour.
Bangladesh players rise
The latest rankings update has also brought significant movement elsewhere, particularly for Bangladesh, whose impressive performance against Australia has translated into major gains for several players. Fast bowler Hasan Mahmud emerged as one of the week’s biggest movers after his match-winning performance in Darwin.
Mahmud claimed nine wickets across the Test against Australia, including a six-wicket haul in the first innings, and was subsequently named Player of the Match. His outstanding figures have propelled him 26 places to 38th in the Test bowling rankings.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Mehidy Hasan also climbed the rankings after making a major contribution with the ball. His five-wicket haul in Australia’s second innings took him three places up to 24th.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto also enjoyed a significant rise in the batting rankings. Shanto’s score of 84 in his only innings lifted him nine places to a career-best 20th position. The rise also sees him move above India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Bangladesh teammate Liton Das in the rankings.