For the first time in 39 years, three batters from the same team occupy the top three places in the ICC men’s Test ranking for batters. Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith And Travis Head are currently ranked one, two and three, respectively, in the latest rankings released on Wednesday. While Labuschagne has been at the top for a while, Smith and Head were rewarded for their knocks against India in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final last week. Australia defeated India in the final to become to first team to win all four ICC tournaments.
Smith gained place in the latest rankings, while head Head jumped three places to occupy the third spot.
The last time three batters from the same side occupied the top three positions in the Test rankings was in December 1984 when Gordon Greenidge (810), Clive Lloyd (787), and Larry Gomes (773) from West Indies formed the top trio.
Smith and Head were the third and fourth highest-scorer for Australia in the WTC 2021-23 cycle behind Marnus Labuschagne (1,576 runs in 20 matches at an average of 52.53, with five centuries and five fifties) and Usman Khawaja (1,621 runs in 17 matches at an average of 64.84, with six tons and seven fifties).
The last time three batters from the same side occupied the top three positions in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Test rankings was in 1984!
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— ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2023
In 20 matches, Smith scored 1,407 runs at an average of 52.11. He scored four centuries and six fifties in the cycle, with the best score of 200*. He was the fifth-highest scorer in the recently-concluded WTC cycle.
Head also turned many eyes towards him with his attacking batting style and his consistency despite the high-risk batting approach. In 18 matches, he scored 1,389 runs at an average of 55.56. Head scored four centuries and six fifties, with the best score of 175. He ended as the sixth-highest scorer in the cycle.
(With ANI Inputs)
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