DUBAI (Web Desk) Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and former captain Babar Azam have gained ground in the latest ICC Test rankings, highlighting a positive week for several Pakistani players in red-ball cricket.
Rizwan climbed one place to 20th in the Test batting rankings, while Babar also moved up one spot to 21st. Middle-order batters Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha retained their positions at 25th and 27th, respectively.
However, Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood slipped one place to 44th with 558 rating points. Opener Imam-ul-Haq remained unchanged at 52nd with 522 points, while Abdullah Shafique rose to 54th despite not playing a Test since Pakistan’s tour of South Africa in 2025. Young batter Abdullah Fazal dropped one place to 97th.
England’s Joe Root continues to lead the Test batting rankings, followed by compatriot Harry Brook in second. Australia’s Travis Head remains third.
In the bowling rankings, Pakistan spinner Noman Ali held on to seventh place with 817 rating points, maintaining his status as the country’s highest-ranked Test bowler.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Abbas both improved by one position to 25th and 27th, respectively. Sajid Khan remained 31st, while Hasan Ali and Khurram Shahzad occupied 38th and 46th spots. Asif Afridi and Salman Ali Agha, meanwhile, slipped to 83rd and 90th.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah remains the No. 1-ranked Test bowler. Australia’s Mitchell Starc stays second, while skipper Pat Cummins has climbed to third, moving ahead of New Zealand pacer Matt Henry.
