ICC Rankings: Struggling Babar Azam out of top 10

Pakistan’s cricket team has faced a significant setback in the latest ICC Test rankings following a disappointing two-match series against Bangladesh held in Rawalpindi. 

The series exposed a number of key players who struggled to maintain their form, leading to a major drop in their rankings.

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam experienced a notable decline, falling from 9th to 12th place in the ICC Test batting rankings. Azam, who has failed to score a fifty in his last 16 Test innings, now holds 712 rating points. His performance during the Bangladesh series was underwhelming, contributing to his drop in the rankings.

Despite the overall team struggle, Mohammad Rizwan managed to retain his position at 10th in the batting rankings with 720 rating points. Rizwan was the leading run-scorer in the series, accumulating 171 runs and totaling 294 runs across the two Test matches.

Middle-order batter Saud Shakeel also saw a decline, dropping seven places from 13th to 20th with 661 rating points due to a series of disappointing performances.

In contrast, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha saw a rise, climbing nine spots from 40th to 31st with 606 rating points. Opening batter Abdullah Shafique, however, experienced a decline, falling from 34th to 42nd in the latest rankings update.

In the ICC Test batting rankings, England’s Joe Root leads with 922 rating points, followed by Kane Williamson in second place with 859 points. Daryl Mitchell holds the third spot with 768 rating points.

In the bowling rankings, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi dropped one place from 10th to 11th with 709 rating points. Naseem Shah fell two places from 33rd to 35th, holding 531 rating points. Spinner Abrar Ahmed also experienced a decline, dropping three places from 46th to 49th with 410 rating points. All-rounder Aamer Jamal, despite his absence from the Test series, has experienced a slight rise in the rankings update, now holding the 46th spot with 423 rating points.

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin tops the Test bowling rankings with 870 rating points. He is followed by Josh Hazlewood and Jasprit Bumrah, who share the second spot with 847 rating points each.