KEY POINTS
- England’s Joe Root retains top spot amongst batters, with teammate Harry Brook now at second
- Indian batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal leaps into the top five following a remarkable century at The Oval
- Pakistan’s spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan slip in the bowling rankings
- Jasprit Bumrah leads the bowling rankings
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s players have seen mixed results in the latest ICC Men’s Test rankings following the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series between India and England.
Mohammad Rizwan, the ever-reliable wicketkeeper-batter, moved up to 20th spot in the batting rankings, while all-rounder Salman Ali Agha climbed two spots to 36th. However, several Pakistani bowlers, including Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, slipped in the latest update.
Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel and the indomitable Babar Azam maintained their ground, standing firm at 12th and 23rd places, respectively.
Salman Agha experienced a welcome boost, climbing two spots to claim 36th position with 592 points.
Meanwhile, red-ball captain Shan Masood anchored himself at 48th, while opening batsman Abdullah Shafique held steady at 51st.
However, it was a less favorable update for middle-order stalwart Kamran Ghulam, who remained stagnant at 76th, and for Aamer Jamal and Saim Ayub, both slipping to a shared 84th position.
Turning to England’s prowess, Joe Root reigned supreme as the No.1 Test batter, with his teammate Harry Brook nudging past Kane Williamson for a coveted second position, thanks to a series of stellar performances.
Among the Indian squad, Yashasvi Jaiswal shone at The Oval, scoring a splendid century that propelled him three places into the top five, now championing 792 points.
On the other hand, from the recent Zimbabwe-New Zealand series, Daryl Mitchell surged into the top 10, elevating his ranks by four positions.
The bowling department saw notable ebbs and flows for the Pakistani lineup. Talented spinner Noman Ali slipped one spot to settle into sixth place with 806 points.
His fellow spinner, Sajid Khan, also saw a decline, landing at 21st. The dynamic left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi experienced a steeper fall, tumbling two places to claim the 23rd spot.
Veteran pacer Mohammad Abbas maintained his steadiness at 26th, while promising pace sensation Naseem Shah slipped one position to 35th.
Spinner Abrar Ahmed held on to his 50th spot, but younger talents Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal both faced minor declines, landing at 65th and 74th, respectively.
In a stark contrast, Indian lightning bolt Jasprit Bumrah continued to bask in the glory of his No.1 bowling title, closely followed by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and Australia’s Pat Cummins.
Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna basked in personal triumphs, with Siraj rocketing up 12 places to 15th as Player of the Match, and Krishna soaring 25 spots to 59th after a breathtaking eight-wicket performance at The Oval.
Adding to the exciting narrative of this evolving cricket season, England’s Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue also savored personal bests, with Atkinson breaking into the top 10 for the first time while Tongue improved his ranking by 14 spots after an exhilarating outing at The Oval.
