Joe Root dethrones Marnus Labuschagne to become No. 1 ranked ICC Test batsman

Ex England captain Joe Root has become the new No. 1 ranked Test batsman replacing Marnus Labuschagne

The first Ashes test between England and Australia saw some incredible performances from both teams. For Australia it was Usman Khawaja, who smashed a brilliant century and was one of the reason that his team won the game. On the other hand, for England, it was Joe Root once again, who stood tall during the crisis and scored an unbeaten 118 in the first innings and 46 runs in the second.

Though England lost the game with Australia coming out victorious by two wickets, But Root got the benefit of his individual performance. The former English captain, Joe Root has taken the world No. 1 spot in the test batters rankings and dethroned star Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne from the top spot. It is the first time in last six months that any batter has taken the No. 1 spot from Labuschagne.

Joe Root smashed an unbeaten century in the first innings of the Edgbaston test

Joe Root has been the consistent performer for England from last two-three years. He has scored centuries and most runs during this time. As per the latest ICC rankings on Wednesday, he jumped five places up to claim the No1 ranking. The first test didn't go well for Labuschange and he scored 0 and 13 runs in the two innings.

As a result, it saw a change in the rankings. He dropped down to the third place and Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson has jumped to the second spot. Australia star Travis Head dropped to one spot down to fourth, while veteran Steven Smith dropped four spots down to sixth as per the latest rankings. The difference between top six batters is just 26 rating points, which is the closest competitions seen in a recent time.

On the other hand, the Man of the Match from the first test has jumped to his career-best ranking to seventh place. Speaking of the game, the Australian captain Pat Cummins (44) snatched a close victory by adding unbeaten 55 runs with Nathan Lyon (16) for the 8th wicket. Australia are currently 1-0 up in the Ashes series. The second game will kick start on June 28 at the Lord's.