ISLAMABAD: A dramatic Test at The Oval has reshaped the ICC rankings, with Matt Henry becoming just the third New Zealander to top the bowling charts, while Joe Root reclaimed the No.1 batting spot.
🚨 Matt Henry becomes the first New Zealander in 𝟑𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 to top the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers!
– Only two others NZ bowlers have claimed top spot in the rankings before – Jack Cowie (1947) and Richard Hadlee (1984-1990). pic.twitter.com/4mczeCG33s
— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) June 24, 2026
Henry joins Elite company after stellar Oval performance
The 34-year-old right-armer delivered a career-defining 11-wicket haul in the second Test against England, a performance that not only helped New Zealand level the three-match series at 1-1 but also propelled him to share the No.1 bowling spot with India’s Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah had held the top position solo since surpassing Kagiso Rabada in November 2024, but Henry’s heroics at The Oval have now placed him in an exclusive pantheon of Kiwi bowling greats.
Here are the updated ICC Men’s Test + ODI rankings.
▶️ Joe Root retains the No. 1 spot in the Test batting rankings, reclaiming the top position from his England teammate Harry Brook.
▶️ Matt Henry rises to No. 1 in the ICC Test bowling rankings, becoming only the third New… pic.twitter.com/3epXdsbnHk— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) June 24, 2026
Henry joins Jack Cowie (1947) and the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee (1984-1990) as the only New Zealanders to hold the premier bowling ranking in Test cricket, ending a 36-year drought for the Kiwis in the category.
His current rating of 870 points has been exceeded by only two New Zealand players in history, Hadlee, who peaked at 909 in 1985, and former skipper Kane Williamson, who amassed 919 rating points as a batter during his peak in 2021.
Back at the 🔝. Again. 👑
Joe Root is the #1 Test Batter in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings for the 12th time 👏
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/fFeN55q1dp pic.twitter.com/mzUvNLv1Ov
— ICC (@ICC) June 24, 2026
Root regains No.1 batting spot for 12th time
The rise of Henry to the summit was not the only seismic shift in the Test rankings this week. England batting maestro Joe Root has reclaimed his place as the world’s top-ranked Test batter following his gritty scores of 46 and 77 at The Oval, despite England suffering a 253-run defeat.
Root’s efforts saw him climb two places, overtaking teammate Harry Brook and Australia’s Travis Head to regain the premier position for the 12th time in his illustrious career. The Yorkshire pair of Root and Brook have exchanged the No.1 spot a total of six times over the past 18 months, adding a compelling subplot to England’s Test cricket narrative.
New Zealand batters surge after historic win
New Zealand’s record-breaking victory in England, their heaviest-ever win on English soil, was reflected in significant gains for several Black Caps batters. Rachin Ravindra moved up two places to break into the top 10 at 10th position, while Daryl Mitchell climbed five rungs to 16th.
Glenn Phillips jumped eight spots to 31st, and Henry Nicholls made an impressive leap of 13 places to 40th following their notable contributions with the bat.
White-ball rankings: Gill closes gap, Kishan soars
There was also substantial movement in both white-ball categories following the conclusion of India’s ODI series against Afghanistan and Australia’s T20I series against Bangladesh.
In the ODI batting rankings, India’s Shubman Gill gained three places to move to second position, now trailing only No.1 ranked Mitchell by a slender margin of 24 rating points. Teammate Ishan Kishan made a spectacular jump of 21 spots to joint 43rd, while Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi gained four places to rise to 52nd.
In the ODI bowling charts, three Indian players made significant gains. Arshdeep Singh climbed 16 spots to 22nd, Prasidh Krishna surged 34 places to joint 58th, and Washington Sundar moved up 17 rungs to joint 71st following their impressive performances against Afghanistan.
📈 ICC Rankings Update! 🔥
Joe Root reclaims the No.1 spot in the ICC Test Batting Rankings, while Matt Henry joins Jasprit Bumrah at the summit of the Test Bowling Rankings. 👑🏏🎯
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill continues his rise, climbing to No.2 in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings and… pic.twitter.com/efnxqlaxrE
— Cricket Gyan (@cricketgyann) June 24, 2026
T20I gains for Australia and Bangladesh
In the shortest format, Australia’s T20I series sweep against Bangladesh away from home produced notable gains for two Aussie stars. Captain Mitch Marsh rose four places to ninth on the list for T20I batters, while compatriot Nathan Ellis jumped three spots to seventh on the rankings for T20I bowlers.
Despite suffering a 3-0 series whitewash, Bangladesh found reasons for optimism with gains for Towhid Hridoy (up nine slots to 30th) and Saif Hassan (up 13 places to joint 35th) in the T20I batting rankings, while Nasum Ahmed surged 27 spots to 11th on the T20I bowling charts.
