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Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has returned to the top 10 of the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings after two years following his team's eight-wicket win over the West Indies in Port of Spain that helped draw the two-match ICC World Test Championship series.
The 31-year-old scored 88 and 24 not out, advancing five slots to 10th position in the rankings. He had slipped out of the top 10 in September 2024 after remaining there continuously for the previous five years, according to an ICC Media release. Babar's career best second position was achieved during a home series against England in December 2022. Abdullah Shafique, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten knocks of 160 and 24, has progressed 25 slots to 32nd position, overtaking players like Marnus Labuschagne, K.L. Rahul and compatriots Salman Agha and Shan Masood in the process. Brandon King of the West Indies is another player to rise in the batters' list, up from 73rd to joint-69th despite being unable to bat in the second innings due to a back injury. He scored 46 off 50 balls in the first innings. The bowling rankings see the West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph inch up one place to 19th after finishing with three wickets in the match, while Pakistan off-spinner Sajid Khan (up five places to 30th), new-ball bowler Mohammad Ali (up eight places to 85th) and left-arm spinner Ali Usman (up 58 places to 97th) have also moved up, according to an ICC Media release. In the ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has risen three positions to 11th after scoring 32 and 71 in the second and third matches of their series against Ireland. Oman's Hammad Mirza (up two places to 85th) and the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Rahul Chopra (up 37 places to joint-97th) have advanced following their performances in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 series in Dundee. Ireland's seam bowler Mark Adair returns in 17th position after picking two wickets each in two matches against Afghanistan, and Scotland's Brandon McMullen is up 10 spots to joint-48th in the bowlers' list after taking three wickets each against Canada and the UAE in Dundee, according to an ICC Media release. The drawn Test series in the West Indies has not helped the cause of either team as they occupy the bottom two positions in the ICC World Test Championship points table. Australia are at the top with 87.50 percentage points, with seven wins and a loss in eight outings, while South Africa (75.00) and New Zealand (72.22) are in second and third positions, respectively. (ANI)
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