LAHORE: Pakistan’s Test campaign in England ended in disappointment, but Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood have found some consolation in the latest ICC batting rankings, all moving up despite the national team’s 3-0 series defeat.
The ICC released its latest rankings on Wednesday, with Babar climbing two places to 13th after scoring 76 in the second innings of the third Test in Birmingham. Saud also moved up two places to 16th, while Shan rose four spots to 37th.
England’s Harry Brook retained the top position among Test batters.
Shan’s rise followed 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 scored 76 before being dismissed by Josh Tongue. Pakistan eventually made 449, but England chased down 130 to complete a 3-0 series sweep.
England pace attack rewarded
England’s dominant series also brought substantial gains for their pace attack. 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.
Read Also: Pakistan Lose 11 World Test Championship Points Following Slow Rate Breach
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.
Read Also: Pakistan Slump to Bottom of World Test Championship 2027 Standings
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.
Read Also: Pakistan Ready to Host England, Sri Lanka ODI Tri-Series Starting from October 18
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 present a mixed 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.
