Root, Jaiswal take big strides in ICC Test rankings

NewsHazlewood back into the top ten in T20I rankings while Scholtz, Erasmus of Namibia dazzle too

IPL mates Joe Root and Yashasvi Jaiswal greet each other  •  AFP/Getty Images

Joe Root’s first century in England’s ongoing tour of India has lifted the batter to No. 3, while Yashasvi Jaiswal’s consistent scores have taken him to No. 12 on ICC’s rankings for Test batters.

Root’s unbeaten 122 in the fourth Test, his first major contribution with the bat this series, lifted him two places and into the top three. His exploits as an offspinner have also moved him up to No. 4 among Test allrounders.

For Jaiswal, now only two shy of the top ten, the rise has been meteoric. He started the Test series at No. 69 in the rankings, but in a matter of weeks, his 655 runs at an average of 93.57 in eight innings has seen him jump 57 steps to 12th. The batters’ rankings are still led by New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, with Australia’s Steven Smith at No. 2.

In the Test bowling rankings, world No. 2 R Ashwin has closed the distance between him and World No. 1 Jasprit Bumrah to only 21 rating points. After missing parts of the Rajkot Test for personal reasons, Ashwin took a second-innings five-wicket haul in Ranchi to set up India’s victory. Bumrah was rested. Behind the pair are Kagiso Rabada at third, with the Australian duo of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to follow.

Australians surge in T20Is

Hazlewood’s spell of 4-1-12-1 in Auckland against New Zealand has taken him six places up to No. 7 on the rankings for T20I bowlers. He is now the only Australian in the top 10 of the T20I bowling rankings, with England spinner Adil Rashid leading the way followed by the Sri Lankan pair of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana.

Travis Head and Tim David have also gained positions among T20I batters. Head’s scores of 24, 45 and 33 elevated him 18 places up to 19th. Tim David’s 10-ball 31 in Australia’s final-ball win in the opening game of the series now sees him at a career-best 22nd. Suryakumar Yadav, Phil Salt and Mohammad Rizwan still hold the top three spots.

Scholtz makes history for Namibia

Bernard Scholtz’s six-wicket haul across two games at the League 2 tri-series in Nepal has taken him to 11th among ODI bowlers, a record high for Namibia. Scholtz’s slow left-arm orthodox spin earned him 4 for 31 against Nepal and 2 for 15 against Netherlands.

Scholtz’s captain Gerhard Erasmus, meanwhile, is tied at No. 8 among ODI allrounders alongside Glenn Maxwell of Australia. Erasmus struck 52 against Nepal and took 3 for 33 against Netherlands to zoom eight places up and into the top ten.