England’s Ben Stokes has ended West Indies captain Jason Holder’s 18-month reign as Test cricket’s leading all-rounder, following the regional team’s 113-run defeat in the Second Test at Old Trafford last week.
Holder started the game 54 points ahead of Stokes but watched as England’s talisman slammed 176 and an unbeaten 78, and also took three wickets, to assume the number one position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings.
Stokes, who is the first Englishman since Andrew Flintoff 14 years ago to assume the top spot, now leads the second placed Holder by 38 rating points.
The 29-year-old Stokes has also leapt to a career-best third spot in the batting rankings.
Holder endured an ordinary outing in Manchester, with scores of two and 35, while picking up a single wicket.
He slipped four places to 41st but remained the highest-ranked West Indies batsman.
Holder, meanwhile, slipped one place in the bowling rankings to third but remained one of three Caribbean bowlers in the top 20, with fast bowler Kemar Roach holding steady at 16th and Shannon Gabriel dropping to 19th.
