Harry Brook overtakes Joe Root to claim world number one Test batter ranking

England’s Harry Brook has ascended past his team-mate Joe Root to secure the top position among Test batters in the global rankings. The 25-year-old’s rise follows his impressive performance during England’s current tour of New Zealand, where he registered a score of 171 in the first Test, complemented by innings of 123 and 55 in the second Test held in Wellington, culminating in a ranking score of 898. Root, who had previously displaced New Zealand’s Kane Williamson from the pinnacle of the International Cricket Council rankings in July, now trails Brook by a mere point with a score of 897, and has the opportunity to reclaim the leading spot when the third Test commences in Hamilton on 14 December. Following the victory in Wellington, Root expressed considerable praise for his fellow Yorkshire player. Root remarked, “Brooky is by far and away the best player in the world at the minute. He can absorb pressure, he can apply it. He can whack you over your head for six. He can scoop you over his head for six. He can smack spin. He can smack seam.” Brook, who made his Test debut in 2022, has accumulated 2,280 runs from 38 innings across 23 Tests, maintaining an average of 61.62.