On Wednesday (August 28), senior Pakistan batter Babar Azam experienced a notable fall in the ICC Test rankings, dropping from 3rd to 9th position.
Babar Azam’s significant drop in ICC Test rankings
This decline is attributed to a series of underwhelming performances in recent red-ball matches. Babar, who has not scored a century since the Boxing Day Test in Karachi in 2022, has struggled to find form. His failure to achieve a half-century in matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh has further exacerbated his drop. Consequently, Babar now finds himself behind compatriot Mohammad Rizwan, who ascended 7 places to the 8th spot, just six rating points ahead of Babar.
Impact on other top batters: Harry Brook and Virat Kohli
England’s Harry Brook capitalized on Babar’s slump by rising three positions to secure the 4th spot in the ICC Test batter rankings. He now trails only Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell. This shift has positively impacted Indian batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, who have also advanced in the rankings. Jaiswal now occupies the 7th position, while Kohli has moved up to 8th. With these changes, three Indian players – Rohit Sharma (6th), Jaiswal, and Kohli – are now in the top 10.
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Rising stars and career-high rankings
Pakistan vice-captain Saud Shakeel has made strides in the rankings, moving up one place to 13th following his century against Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim achieved a career-high ranking, jumping seven spots to 17th. This rise is largely due to his pivotal 191-run innings against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, which played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s historic victory. Sri Lankan players also saw upward movements: Dinesh Chandimal climbed four places to 23rd, Kamindu Mendis jumped eight spots to 36th, and England newcomer Jamie Smith made a significant leap of 22 places to 42nd.
Changes in bowlers’ and all-rounders’ rankings
In the bowlers’ rankings, Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya moved up one place to 9th, following his impressive five-wicket haul in Manchester against England. Chris Woakes of England improved his position among Test all-rounders, rising to 8th place, and also advanced in the bowlers’ rankings to 16th after a match return of 6 for 90. India’s Ravichandran Ashwin continues to lead the Test bowlers’ rankings, while Naseem Shah of Pakistan and Gus Atkinson of England achieved career-best rankings. Naseem moved up to 33rd, and Atkinson rose to 42nd, reflecting their recent strong performances.
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