Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood climb in latest ICC Test rankings

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has moved up two places to 13th in the latest ICC Test batting rankings, while Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood have also made significant gains despite Pakistan’s 3-0 series defeat by England.

Babar’s 76 in the second innings of the third Test in Birmingham helped him climb to 13th, while Saud moved up two places to 16th and Shan rose four spots to 37th. The latest rankings were released by the ICC on Wednesday.

England’s Harry Brook remains the world’s top-ranked Test batter.

Shan’s rise follows his 95 in Pakistan’s second innings at Edgbaston, where he and Azan Awais put together Pakistan’s first century partnership of the series.

Babar also contributed 76 before being dismissed by Josh Tongue. Pakistan eventually made 449, but England chased down 130 to complete a 3-0 series sweep.

The rankings also rewarded England’s pace attack after their dominant series. Ollie Robinson climbed two places to a career-best third in the Test bowling rankings after taking 21 wickets across the three matches.

Robinson now has 856 rating points, becoming only the 16th England bowler to reach the 850-point mark.

He had previously reached a career-best fourth position in February 2023 and gained 23 places during the series against Pakistan.

His England team-mate Josh Tongue made an even bigger jump, rising 22 places to a career-best 11th after claiming 19 wickets in the series. Tongue had been 13th before the third Test.

Australia’s Mitchell Starc remains the top-ranked Test bowler, while Pakistan’s Noman Ali slipped one place to 10th and Mohammad Abbas dropped one spot to 16th.

Pakistan’s Razaullah, who made his Test debut in the third match at Edgbaston, also entered the ICC batting rankings at 91st after his explosive 81.

The 21-year-old struck nine sixes in a 63-ball innings and shared a 121-run ninth-wicket stand with Abbas. He is ranked 120th among Test bowlers.

Abhishek moves ahead of Farhan

India’s Abhishek Sharma has moved into second place in the T20I batting rankings, overtaking Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan.

Abhishek’s 82 in the opening T20I against Afghanistan, followed by 39 in the second match, lifted him one place. He now trails fellow India opener Ishan Kishan, who remains No. 1, by 51 rating points.

Farhan therefore drops to third, while India’s Sanju Samson has climbed four places to 30th after his half-century in the second match against Afghanistan.

India’s bowlers have also made substantial gains. Varun Chakaravarthy has risen two places to fifth, Jasprit Bumrah has climbed seven places to 10th, Arshdeep Singh has moved up 11 places to 14th and Axar Patel has gained six places to 27th.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan remains the No. 1 T20I bowler, with Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed holding second place. Mohammad Nawaz has moved up one place to eighth, while Salman Mirza has slipped two places to 18th.

In the T20I all-rounders’ rankings, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza remains No 1, with Pakistan’s Saim Ayub holding second.

Pakistan make gains in ODI rankings

Pakistan have also made progress in the ODI rankings, with captain Shaheen Shah Afridi moving up one place to seventh among bowlers.

Salman Ali Agha has climbed one spot to 14th in the ODI batting rankings.

The latest ODI update also saw major gains for several players elsewhere. Australia’s Nathan Ellis jumped 20 places to 20th among ODI bowlers after taking five wickets against Zimbabwe, while team-mate Matthew Renshaw rose 54 places to 68th after scoring 109 in the same match.

The latest rankings underline the contrasting picture for Pakistan: despite a comprehensive Test series defeat in England, Babar, Saud and Shan all improved their positions in the batting charts, while Pakistan continue to have players near the top of the T20I bowling and all-rounder rankings.