West Indies seamer Jayden Seales and batsman Kavem Hodge have been rewarded for their standout performances in the recently-concluded Test series against England, as both achieved career-best moves up the latest ICC Men’s Test bowling and batting rankings on Wednesday.
Though West Indies suffered a 3-0 whitewash in that ICC World Test Championship series, Seales emerged as a standout performer, as he earned the player of the series award for his 13 wickets snared across all three games.
That performance saw the 22-year-old Trinidadian move seven places up to a career-best 26th position, joining teammate Jason Holder, who held firm in that position.
Veteran seamer Kemar Roach remains the top-ranked West Indies bowler at 17th, with Alzarri following Seales and Holder as the next best-ranked player at 31st. Kyle Mayers (37th), Shannon Gabriel (43rd), Gudakesh Motie (52nd), Roston Chase (59th), Shamar Joseph (64th), Jomel Warrican (66th), and Rahkeem Cornwall (82nd) are the other Caribbean bowlers in the top 100.
On the batting chart, Hodge inched up three places to 72nd, following a credible display in the three-match series. The 31-year-old Dominican tallied 216 runs, including a maiden Test century.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite remains the highest-ranked West Indies batsman at 41st, with out-of-favor Jermaine Blackwood slipping to 52nd. Wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua da Silva (62nd), Holder (70th), Mayer (76th), Tagenarine Chanderpaul (86th), and Roston Chase (92nd) are also in the top 100.
Meanwhile, England batter Joe Root reclaimed the number one Test batting position after scoring 87 in the first innings of the third and final match against West Indies in Birmingham, which his side won by 10 wickets.
This is Root’s ninth stint as number one. His first tenure at the top of the rankings commenced in August 2015, and he was last at the top in June last year after a fine performance in the opening match of the Ashes series, also in Birmingham.
While Root overtook Kane Williamson to take the top spot, Babar Azam, Daryl Mitchell, Steve Smith, and Rohit Sharma have all gained a spot each as Harry Brook slipped to seventh position after attaining a career-best third position last week.
In the weekly update to the rankings that also takes into consideration performances in the Ireland versus Zimbabwe Test in Belfast, England captain Ben Stokes, who struck 54 in the first innings in Birmingham and a quickfire 57 not out off 28 balls in the second, has moved up four positions to 30th in the batting rankings.
Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams has re-entered the rankings in 33rd position after scores of 35 and 40, while England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith’s knock of 95 has lifted him 31 places to 64th position.
England fast bowler Mark Wood’s Player of the Match performance of two for 52 and five for 40 has lifted him into the top 20 of the bowling rankings for the first time in his career.
Gus Atkinson of England (up four places to 46th), Blessing Muzarabani of Zimbabwe (re-entered in 50th position), and Mark Adair of Ireland (up three places to 63rd) are other notable gainers in the bowling rankings.