Rizwan and Salman Agha rise, Pakistan bowlers slip in ICC Test rankings

Web Desk

Pakistan players have witnessed major shifts in the latest ICC Men’s Test rankings following the conclusion of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between India and England. While some Pakistani batters made upward progress, several bowlers experienced a dip in their rankingsWicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan moved up one spot to 20th place with 671 rating points. Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel and star batter Babar Azam retained their 12th and 23rd positions, respectively.

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha climbed two places to 36th with 592 points. Red-ball captain Shan Masood held firm at 48th, while opener Abdullah Shafique maintained his 51st spot. 

Middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam remained at 76th, whereas Aamer Jamal and Saim Ayub both dropped one place each to share the 84th position.

England’s Joe Root continues to dominate as the No.1 Test batter. His teammate Harry Brook rose one spot to reclaim the second position, pushing New Zealand’s Kane Williamson to third.

India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored a century at The Oval, jumped three spots to break into the top five with 792 points. From the Zimbabwe-New Zealand series, Daryl Mitchell surged four places to enter the top 10.

 Meanwhile, Matt Henry reached a career-best fourth spot with 817 rating points after an impressive performance, maintaining his stellar form across formats.

In the bowling department, Pakistan spinner Noman Ali slipped one place to sixth with 806 points. Fellow spinner Sajid Khan also dropped one position to 21st, while left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi fell two spots to 23rd. 

Pacer Mohammad Abbas held onto his 26th position, but Naseem Shah dropped one place to 35th with 526 points.

Spinner Abrar Ahmed retained his 50th spot, while Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal each dropped one place to 65th and 74th, respectively. 

Pacer Mir Hamza, Salman Ali Agha, and leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood each dropped two positions, now sitting at 96th, 98th, and 100th, respectively.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah remains the No.1 Test bowler, followed by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada in second and Australia’s Pat Cummins in third.

Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna reached career-best ratings after their standout performances in The Oval Test. 

Siraj, who was named Player of the Match, climbed 12 places to 15th with a rating of 674. Krishna jumped 25 places to 59th after taking eight wickets in the decider, his highest-ever ranking with 368 points.

England’s Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue also achieved personal bests. Atkinson broke into the top 10 for the first time, while Tongue rose 14 spots to 46th after taking eight wickets at The Oval.