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Australia's Marnus Labuschagne replaces Joe Root as the ICC's top ranked Test batter
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne has replaced England captain Joe Root at the top of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test batting rankings.
The 27-year-old's maiden Ashes century at Adelaide helped Australia go 2-0 up in the five-match series against England ahead of the third Test in Melbourne starting on Sunday, December 26.
Root, who returned to the number one position in August, has amassed 1,630 runs at an average of 62.69 so far in 2021 and a further 159 in Melbourne would set a new record for a Test batsman in a calendar year.
Labuschagne, the ninth Australian man to cross the 900-point mark in the ICC's Test batting rankings, is ahead of Root, with Australia's Steve Smith third, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson fourth and India's Rohit Sharma fifth in the latest standings.
It means Australia now has the best batter in the Test world alongside the best bowler, with Pat Cummins remaining in the top spot ahead of India's Ravi Ashwin and Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi.
Josh Hazelwood is Australia's next best ranked bowler at number 5, while Mitchell Starc is ranked at number 9.
In the all-rounder category, West Indian Jason Holder remains in the top spot in front of Ashwin and India's Ravindra Jadeja, while Australia's top-ranked player is Starc, who has moved into the number 6 spot. Cummins is ranked number 8.
AFP/ABC