ICC Test rankings: Ben Stokes replaces Jason Holder as No 1 all-rounder in the world

Ben Stokes replaced Jason Holder as the top all-rounder in the International Cricket Council’s latest Test rankings released on Tuesday.

On the back of a stellar performance in the second Test between England and West Indies, Stokes leapfrogged Holder to the top spot. The 29-year-old has become the first player from England since Andrew Flintoff to be ranked No 1 in the ICC Test rankings for all-rounders.

Additionally, Stokes is now tied third, with Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen. That list continues to be headed by Steve Smith, with India captain Virat Kohli in second place.

The ongoing Test series between England and West Indies didn’t start off too well for Stokes. He was trailing Holder by 54 points at that time and couldn’t stop his team from suffering a defeat in his first Test as captain.

The 29-year-old, though, roared back to form in the second Test in Manchester. He scored a total of 254 runs across two innings and also picked up three wickets in the match. His heroics helped England level the three-match series and brought him the Player of the Match award.

The rankings, unlike traditional averages, also take the quality of opposition into account and Stokes’ tally of 497 ratings points is the highest for any all-rounder since South Africa’s Jacques Kallis was on 517 in April 2008.

Stuart Broad’s six wickets on his England recall at Old Trafford saw him return to the top 10 of the Test bowling rankings.

(With inputs from AFP)