KARACHI: Pakistan supplanted India to become the world’s number one Test side on Monday for the first time since the International Cric­ket Council introduced the rankings system in 2003.

A waterlogged outfield in Trinidad forced a draw in the fourth and final Test between the West Indies and India, a match the tourists had to win to hold onto the top spot.

Pakistan won the fourth and final Test of their recent series in England to seal a 2-2 draw and became only the fifth team after Australia, England, India and South Africa to top the rankings.

The top ranking is also a personal achievement for 42-year-old Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who took charge two months after the 2010 spot-fixing scandal in England which resulted in five-year bans for then skipper Salman Butt and seam bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

Misbah was delighted to become the first man to lead Pakistan to the top of the Test rankings. “There is no grea­ter feeling than to achieve the number-one ranking in the most traditional and purest format of the sport,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2016