Pakistan’s key players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi have all climbed up on the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings, despite facing criticism for their recent performances.
Babar Azam has climbed to the 11th spot in the Test rankings with 712 rating points. This rise comes despite scrutiny over his recent red-ball performance against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has broken into the top 10, securing the 9th position with 720 rating points. Rizwan’s commendable performance against Bangladesh, where he scored 171 runs from 239 balls in the first innings and 51 from 80 in the first Test, has been pivotal in his ascent in the rankings.
While Babar and Rizwan have climbed the rankings, other Pakistani players have experienced a decline. Saud Shakeel has dropped to 21st place with 661 rating points, and Salman Agha has fallen to 32nd place with 606 points.
Sri Lankan cricketers have also made notable progress following their Test victory against England at The Oval. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva is now ranked 13th, Kusal Mendis has reached the 19th spot, and Pathum Nissanka has jumped to 39th. England’s Joe Root continues to hold the No.1 spot as the top Test batter, maintaining his position with consistent performances.
| Position | Team | Players | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | ENG | Joe ROOT | 899 |
| 02 | NEW ZEALAND | Kane WILLIAMSON | 859 |
| 03 | NEW ZEALAND | Daryl MITCHELL | 768 |
| 04 | AUSTRALIA | Steven SMITH | 757 |
| 05 | INDIA | Rohit SHARMA | 751 |
| 06 | INDIA | Yashasvi JAISWAL | 740 |
| 07 | INDIA | Virat KOHLI | 737 |
| 08 | AUSTRALIA | Usman KHAWAJA | 728 |
| 09 | PAKISTAN | Mohammad RIZWAN | 720 |
| 10 | AUSTRALIA | Marnus LABUSCHAGNE | 720 |
| 11 | PAKISTAN | Babar AZAM | 712 |
| 12 | ENGLAND | Harry BROOK | 709 |
| 13 | SRI LANKA | Dhananjaya DE SILVA | 699 |
| 14 | AUSTRALIA | Travis HEAD | 697 |
| 15 | BANGLADESH | Litton DAS | 688 |
| 16 | SRI LANKA | Dimuth KARUNARATNE | 678 |
| 17 | BANGLADESH | Mushfiqur RAHIM | 675 |
| 18 | ENGLAND | Ben DUCKETT | 669 |
| 19 | INDIA | Shubman GILL | 664 |
| 20 | SRI LANKA | Kamindu MENDIS | 664 |
Like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi has also made a significant comeback in the bowler rankings, securing the 10th position with 709 rating points. However, Hasan Ali has dropped to 34th with 540 points, and Naseem Shah is at 37th with 531 points.
Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Kumara and Milan Rathnayake have moved to the 32nd and 84th spots, respectively. England’s Olly Stone has risen to 74th after taking three wickets in the first innings against Sri Lanka. Leading the bowling rankings is India’s Ravichandran Ashwin with 870 points, followed by Australia’s Josh Hazlewood and Jasprit Bumrah, who share the second spot with 847 points.
| Position | Team | Players | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | IND | Ravichandran ASHWIN | 870 |
| 02 | AUSTRALIA | Josh HAZLEWOOD | 847 |
| 03 | INDIA | Jasprit BUMRAH | 847 |
| 04 | AUSTRALIA | Pat CUMMINS | 820 |
| 05 | SOUTH AFRICA | Kagiso RABADA | 820 |
| 06 | AUSTRALIA | Nathan LYON | 801 |
| 07 | INDIA | Ravindra JADEJA | 788 |
| 08 | NEW ZEALAND | Kyle JAMIESON | 729 |
| 09 | NEW ZEALAND | Matt HENRY | 711 |
| 10 | PAKISTAN | Shaheen AFRIDI | 709 |
| 11 | SRI LANKA | Asitha FERNANDO | 706 |
| 12 | AUSTRALIA | Mitchell STARC | 704 |
| 13 | WEST INDIES | Jayden SEALES | 687 |
| 14 | SRI LANKA | Prabath JAYASURIYA | 687 |
| 15 | INDIA | Kuldeep YADAV | 686 |
| 16 | ENGLAND | Chris WOAKES | 683 |
| 17 | ENGLAND | Ollie ROBINSON | 659 |
| 18 | SOUTH AFRICA | Anrich NORTJE | 651 |
| 19 | BANGLADESH | Taijul ISLAM | 641 |
| 20 | WEST INDIES | Kemar ROACH | 637 |
