Out-of-form Pakistan batter Babar Azam has dropped out of the top 10 of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ranking for Test batsmen after nearly five years.
The former skipper, who has suffered a rare rough patch in the format, is currently number 12 in the ranking.
The batter broke into the top 10 in December 2019 after he scored an unbeaten 102 in a drawn Test against Sri Lanka.
During this time, the former skipper dropped to the 10th position in the ranking twice — once in 2021 after he failed to score more than 2 runs against Zimbabwe and the other after the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi last month.
The highest spot Babar held during this period was the second position during England’s visit to Pakistan in 2022 — a series the visitors won via a whitewash.
Babar’s knock of 161 against the Kiwis in December 2022 was the last time he crossed the 50-run mark in a Test inning. Since then, he has had a ton-less run spanning 16 innings.
During his rough patch since, Babar has crossed the 40-run mark only once when he made 41 against the Aussies in a boxing day Test last year.