Babar Azam has climbed one rank in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Test Batting Rankings. The updated rankings place Pakistan’s skipper in the third spot, followed by England’s Joe Root.
Meanwhile, Australian batter, Marnus Labuschagne, has overtaken England’s Joe Root to grab the top spot for batters in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after becoming just the eighth player to score a double-century and a century in the same Test.
Labuschagne, who was just two points behind Root before the two ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Tests completed over the past week, now enjoys a healthy lead at the top even as Root has slipped to fourth place – behind Steve Smith and Babar Azam.
Labuschagne’s scores of 204 and 104 not out in the first Test against the West Indies in Perth have earned him 50 rating points and he leads compatriot Smith by 42 rating points. Labuschagne has regained the No. 1 position after Root overtook him in mid-June with successive centuries against New Zealand.
Smith himself has gained two slots after contributing to the win with unbeaten scores of 200 and 20, along with Labuschagne registering the fifth instance of two Australians scoring double-centuries in the same Test. Smith’s tally of 893 rating points is his highest since January 2021.
Here are the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings:
| Rank | Player | Team | Rating |
| 1. | Marnus Labuschagne | Australia | 935 |
| 2. | Steve Smith | Australia | 893 |
| 3. | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 879 |
| 4. | Joe Root | England | 876 |
| 5. | Rishabh Pant | India | 801 |
| 6. | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 786 |
| 7. | Usman Khawaja | Australia | 752 |
| 8. | Dimuth Karunaratne | Sri Lanka | 748 |
| 9. | Rohit Sharma | India | 746 |
| 10. | Daryl Mitchell | New Zealand | 715 |
For the West Indies, captain Kraigg Brathwaite is back in the top 20 after scores of 64 and 110 in the Perth Test while Kyle Mayers has progressed to 41st in the bowlers’ rankings.
England’s epic 74-run win in the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi reflects in the rankings for their batters as well as the seam bowling pair of James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, who finished with five wickets each in the match
Centurions Zak Crawley (up two places to 46th), Harry Brook (up 90 places to 70th), Ben Duckett (re-entered at 127th place), and Ollie Pope (up two rating points) have all gained in the weekly update as has Anderson (up two places to third) and Robinson (up seven places to a career-best eighth).
Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique (up five places to 15th) and Imam-ul-Haq (up 12 places to 38th) have attained career-best rankings after slamming centuries in the first innings and figuring in a 225-run stand.
Naseem Shah has progressed five places to 54th with five wickets in the match while Zahid Mahmood’s six-wicket haul helps him enter the rankings in 109th position.
