Vikrant Shekhawat : Dec 22, 2021, 06:25 PM
Cricket Desk: Thanks to his prolific start to the Ashes 2021-22, Australia middle-order batter Marnus Labuschagne has climbed up to the top of the ICC rankings in men’s cricket. Labuschagne has 228 runs from four innings in the Ashes including a century and two fifties which has launched him at the summit of the rankings for batters as he replaced England captain Joe Root who dropped down to the second spot.The 27-year-old has played 20 Tests and struck 2113 runs at 62.14 including six centuries and 12 fifties including a high score of 215. And he has quickly become a fan favourite thanks to his appetite for runs and mannerisms on the field including continuous self-talk and loud calls.He scored 103 and 51 during the Adelaide Test helping Australia to a massive 275-run win over England as they went up 2-0 in the five-match series.“I tried to absorb the pressure… I do a bit of self-talk, especially when I congratulated myself on playing the bouncer by (Ben) Stokes, as opposed to the one before that I played poorly. We played well in this Test match and didn’t take our foot off the peddle," Labuschagne said after the match.“Getting my first Ashes ton was terrific and I was disappointed that I didn’t make it a big one despite a few chances. I have played with Neser and played with Jhye in Shield cricket only weeks ago, and they have a unique set of skills - like Neser hits the stumps, for instance. It was great to have two bowlers out and still be able to dominate this Test match," he added.Steve Smith completes the top-three followed by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and India opener Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli is the other India batter in the top-10, occupying the seventh spot.