Babar Azam rise in latest ICC Test Rankings

Pakistan’s senior batters Babar Azam and Test captain Shan Masood have registered improvements in the latest ICC Men’s Test batting rankings, while several other players saw mixed movement across both batting and bowling lists.

Middle-order batter Saud Shakeel retained his ninth position with 734 rating points, continuing to be Pakistan’s highest-ranked Test batter. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan remained unchanged at 21st, while Babar Azam moved up one place to 22nd with 656 points. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha slipped one spot to 28th.

Shan Masood recorded the biggest gain among Pakistan batters, climbing two places to 42nd with 576 points. Opener Imam-ul-Haq stayed at 51st, Abdullah Shafique dropped one position to 57th, and Kamran Ghulam remained 85th. Aamer Jamal and Saim Ayub each advanced one place to share 94th position.

England’s Joe Root continues to lead the Test batting rankings, followed by teammate Harry Brook, while Australia’s Travis Head moved into third place.

In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi held steady at 24th. Mohammad Abbas and Sajid Khan dropped to 29th and 30th, respectively. Hasan Ali improved one place to 43rd, while Naseem Shah stayed 38th. India’s Jasprit Bumrah remains the world’s top-ranked Test bowler.