Harry Brook reclaims ICC No. 1 Test ranking; Shanto hits career-best 20th
Synopsis
Harry Brook is back at the top of ICC Test rankings for the fourth time — and the margin separating the top four batters is just 33 rating points. Bangladesh's nine-wicket demolition of Australia in Darwin reshuffled the charts, with Shanto hitting a career-best 20th and Hasan Mahmud rocketing 26 places up the bowling list.
Key Takeaways
Harry Brook reclaimed the ICC No.
1 Test batter ranking — his fourth time at the top, first achieved in December 2024 .
Travis Head dropped after scores of 22 and 17 in Darwin ; Joe Root is now second, Steve Smith third.
Najmul Hossain Shanto jumped nine places to a career-best 20th with 659 rating points — sixth highest by a Bangladesh batter.
Hasan Mahmud rose 26 places to 38th in bowling after a 6 for 55 Player of the Match performance.
Sediqullah Atal (Afghanistan) was the ODI rankings' biggest mover, up 37 places to 33rd after scores of 143 and 98 vs Ireland.
Only 33 rating points separate the top four Test batters, with further movement expected from England vs Pakistan and the second Australia-Bangladesh Test.
Harry Brook has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men's Test Player Rankings, displacing Australia opener Travis Head after Head managed only 22 and 17 in Darwin during the opening match of the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. This is Brook's fourth stint at No. 1, having first reached the position in December 2024.
How the Top Four Shifted
The gap between the top four Test batters is a razor-thin 33 rating points, making the standings unusually volatile. Joe Root climbed to second and Steve Smith moved to third — the latter boosted by knocks of 71 and 44 in Darwin — both leapfrogging Head, who now sits outside the top three. Further movement is expected when England host Pakistan in their home Test series and the second Australia-Bangladesh match concludes.
Shanto's Career-Best Surge
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was the standout mover, jumping nine places to a career-best 20th in the Test batting rankings after his first-innings 84 helped set up Bangladesh's historic nine-wicket victory over Australia in Darwin. His tally of 659 rating points is the sixth highest ever recorded by a Bangladesh batter. Shanto moved above India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and his compatriot Liton Das in the process.
Other Bangladesh and Australia Movers
Mominul Haque climbed five places to 31st, while Shadman Islam rose three places to 58th, Mehidy Hasan Miraz advanced five places to 59th, and Tanzid Hasan made the biggest leap — up 84 places to joint-88th. Australia all-rounder Cameron Green, whose second-innings century was a bright spot in defeat, moved up five slots to 30th.
Bowling Rankings: Hasan Mahmud Leads the Charge
Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud, named Player of the Match for his figures of 6 for 55 in the first innings, surged 26 places to 38th in the ICC Test bowling rankings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz's haul of 5 for 66 in the second innings lifted him three places to 24th.
ODI Rankings: Atal and Campher Make Big Strides
In the ICC Men's ODI Player Rankings, Afghanistan left-hander Sediqullah Atal was the week's biggest mover, advancing 37 places to 33rd on the back of scores of 143 and 98 in the last two matches of their five-match series against Ireland. Ireland's Curtis Campher rose 23 places to 36th after knocks of 84 and 96. Canada batter Pargat Singh moved up 10 places to 85th following a knock of 42 against Scotland in an ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Dundee, while Ireland's Andrew Balbirnie climbed five places to 47th.
With the second Australia-Bangladesh Test and England's series against Pakistan both imminent, the top of the ICC Test rankings remains highly fluid heading into the final stretch of the international calendar.
Point of View
The list is less a settled hierarchy and more a live leaderboard that one Test series can redraw entirely. More significant, perhaps, is what the Bangladesh result signals: their nine-wicket win in Darwin is not a statistical anomaly but a marker of a team capable of producing match-winning performances across conditions. Shanto's rise and Hasan Mahmud's six-wicket haul suggest Bangladesh's batting and bowling depth are both deepening — a shift that the broader cricketing calendar has not yet fully priced in.
NationPress
19 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Harry Brook reclaim the ICC No. 1 Test ranking?
Harry Brook moved back to the top of the ICC Men's Test Player Rankings after Travis Head's poor scores of 22 and 17 in Darwin allowed Brook, Joe Root, and Steve Smith to all leapfrog him. This is Brook's fourth stint at No. 1, which he first achieved in December 2024.
How did Najmul Hossain Shanto perform to reach a career-best ranking?
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto scored 84 in the first innings of the Darwin Test against Australia, helping Bangladesh win by nine wickets. That performance lifted him nine places to a career-best 20th in the ICC Test batting rankings, with 659 rating points — the sixth highest by a Bangladesh batter.
What was Hasan Mahmud's contribution in the Darwin Test?
Seam bowler Hasan Mahmud claimed 6 for 55 in the first innings and was named Player of the Match. His performance moved him up 26 places to 38th in the ICC Men's Test bowling rankings.
Who is the biggest mover in the ICC ODI rankings this week?
Afghanistan left-hander Sediqullah Atal is the biggest ODI mover, rising 37 places to 33rd after scores of 143 and 98 in the last two matches of Afghanistan's five-match series against Ireland.
How close are the top four ICC Test batters in ratings?
Only 33 rating points separate the top four Test batters — Harry Brook, Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Travis Head — making the rankings extremely fluid. Further changes are expected after England's home series against Pakistan and the second Australia-Bangladesh Test.
