In the most recent weekly update of the Men’s Test Player Rankings, Australian cricketers Steve Smith and Travis Head have joined top-ranked Marnus Labuschagne at the top three spots. This achievement comes after their exceptional centuries in the ICC World Test Championship Final against India at The Oval.

Labuschagne continues to hold onto his number-one position with an impressive 903 rating points. Smith has advanced one place to secure the second position with scores of 121 and 34 in the final. Meanwhile, Travis Head’s outstanding performances of 163 and 18 have propelled him three places to a career-best third position. The race for the second spot remains highly competitive, with Smith on 885 rating points, Head on 884, and Kane Williamson closely following with 883 rating points.

The presence of three batters from the same team occupying the top spots is a rare occurrence. The last time this happened in the Test batting rankings was back in 1984 when West Indies players Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd, and Larry Gomes secured the top three positions.

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Australia’s victory over India by 209 runs has resulted in significant movements in the rankings. Alex Carey has made significant progress, climbing 11 places to secure the 36th spot after scoring an unbeaten 66 and 48 in the match. Additionally, Nathan Lyon has moved up two places to sixth, while Scott Boland has climbed five places to secure the 36th position after both players took five wickets each in the match.

India’s Ajinkya Rahane’s commendable scores of 89 and 46 have earned him a return to the rankings, securing the 37th position. Shardul Thakur has also seen an upward shift, climbing six places to the 94th spot after his valuable half-century in the first innings. In the men’s ODI rankings, UAE batter Vriiitya Aravind has made impressive progress, moving up seven places to secure the 49th spot after scoring 36 and 70 against the West Indies in their home series played in Sharjah, which the visiting side won 3-0.

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Furthermore, Sri Lankan players Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga have also shown progress in the latest update. Nissanka has climbed five places to secure the 62nd position among batters, while Hasaranga has moved up two places to secure the 28th position among bowlers after their final match of the series against Afghanistan.

The recent rankings reflect the exceptional performances of Australian batters and the significant movements across various teams, adding excitement and competition to the world of cricket.