ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has attained a career-best second position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) men’s Test player rankings after notching two half-centuries in the final Test of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against England in Karachi.
Babar’s knocks of 78 and 54 have helped him overtake Steve Smith, who managed 36 and six in a low-scoring game between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane. Babar, who is ranked first in ODIs and fourth in T20Is, trails Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne by 61 points in the Test rankings.
Australian batter Travis Head, whose first innings score of 92 was the highest in the Brisbane Test, has gained three slots to reach a career-best fourth position as he crosses the 800-rating point mark for the first time in his career. His previous best was fifth position in January this year.
In the latest weekly update that also takes into account performances in the first Test of the WTC series between Bangladesh and India in Chittagong, Cheteshwar Pujara’s knocks of 90 and 102 not out have lifted him 10 positions to 16th while Shreyas Iyer (up 11 places to 26th) and Shubman Gill (up 10 places to 54th) have also gained after some fine performances in the match.
England captain Ben Stokes (up places to 23rd), South Africa’s Temba Bavuma (up eight places to 24th) and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (up four places to 37th) are some others to move up the batters list. England’s Harry Brook is in the top 50 for the first time after scoring centuries in all three Tests in Pakistan.
In the bowlers rankings, South African quick Kagiso Rabada has gained four spots to reach third position after grabbing four wickets in each innings at the Gabba. Rabada, a formerly top-ranked bowler, was third in August this year before slipping down the table.
India spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have made rapid progress after helping win the Chittagong Test. Yadav’s man-of-the-match effort of 8-113 has lifted him 19 places to 49th while Patel’s five scalps in the match see him jump 10 places to a career-best 18th position.
Other bowlers to move up the list include Marcon Jansen, Jack Leach, Mark Wood, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Scott Boland and Mohammad Siraj.
Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2022
