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The 5 Best Players in World Cricket Right Now

Cricket is one of the most loved sports on the planet with billions of fans dotted all around the globe from the rain-soaked pitches of England, to the dust bowl wickets of the sub-continent and everywhere else in between.

Whilst new forms of the game from T20 to The 100 may take the headlines, Test cricket is still the be all and end all for many. It is the form of the game that garners the most attention at a sportsbook and, most usually, the most dramatic of all the formats.

In this article we take a look at the individuals that are currently dominating test cricket, read on to find out who the 5 best players of the 5 day game are right now.

Joe Root - English Batsman

When Joe Root lost the England test captaincy in April 2022, it would have been easy for the Yorkshireman to feel sorry for himself. Instead, the decision to replace him as captain seems to have revitalised the 32-year-old.

In the current ICC rankings, Root is the third highest rated batsmen above Babar Azam, Travis Head and Kane Williamson. Thus far this year he has scored 224 runs in 2 tests at an average of 112, with one century and one half-century to his name.

Whilst keeping up those numbers for the rest of the year are unlikely, Root does look in the form to post his best batting average since 2014 when he averaged 97.12.

Joe Root's highest ever test score came in this epic innings against Pakistan in 2016.

James Anderson - English Swing Bowler

Sticking with the England cricket team we have a man that has had more comebacks and reinventions than almost any cricketer on the planet. At 40-years-old and with just under 700 test wickets to his name, it's hard to understand where the Burnley born bowler gets his motivation from.

For four years Australia's Pat Cummins had reigned as the world's top wicket taker until Jimmy Anderson returned last year to retake that particular accolade from Cummins. Anderson has shown no signs of slowing down either, ripping through the New Zealand batting order two weeks ago to seal a victory for England at the Bay Oval.

Steve Smith - Australian Batsman

In the current test rankings England come in at third, with India at second and Australia sitting proudly atop of the pile. One of the players that they have to thank for that is Steve Smith, the unorthodox batsmen with a handy habit of inhabiting the crease for days on end.

Australian cricket fans were at panic stations recently when Smith made one or two comments to the media suggesting that he may be thinking of retiring. If he were to hang up his baggy green cap, it would not only be a shame for Australia but for the wider cricketing public in general.

Over the years Smith has delighted fans and tormented opponents in equal measure with his never say die attitude and incredible ability to rise to the occasion.

The day that Steve Smith annihilated India.

Marnus Labuschagne - Australian Batsman

In 2019 Marnus Labuschagne found himself in the Australian Ashes squad after showing good form for Glamorgan. On day five of the second test, when Steve Smith was forced to retire with concussion after taking a bouncer from Joffra Archer, Labuschagne was called in as his replacement.

England fans clasped their hands together in excitement, viewing Labuschagne as a lamb to the slaughter of Archer's aggressive and rapid bowling. The South African born batsmen not only stood up to the assault, but he rose above it, top scoring in the innings.

Since then he has not looked back and has become a key part of Australia's return to the top of the test rankings. At the time of writing, Labuschagne is the number 1 rated batsmen on the planet.

Ravichandran Ashwin - Indian Spin Bowler

36-year-old off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made his test debut for India against the West Indies in November 2011. Since then he has played in 89 tests for his country, taking 463 wickets at an average of 24.05.

Currently he sits atop of the ICC rankings for bowlers and it's not hard to see why. In India's most recent clash with Australia, Ashwin demonstrated all of his experience and guile as he lured Travis Head out of his crease and enticed him to slog.

The Australian took the bait, charging down the wicket to hit Ashwin out of the ground only to toe end it and loop a catch to Ravindra Jadeja.

Ravichandran Ashwin talks the thinking behind some of his variations.