Babar Azam’s return to Pakistan Test captaincy yielded positive results for the batter as he returned with a haul of 193 runs in the recently concluded two-Test series against the West Indies. Pakistan might have fallen short in the opening Test, but Babar ensured that his side got over the line in the next game to walk away with a 1-1 series result. His latest performance has helped Babar enter the top ten of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after two years.
The 31-year-old scored 88 and 24 not out in the second Test, and this haul helped him advance five spots to move to the tenth spot in the latest rankings unveiled by the ICC on Wednesday. It is worth noting that Babar slipped out of the top ten in September 2024 after being in the top ten for the previous three years.
Babar’s career-best position remains second, which he achieved during a home series against England in December 2022. However, it has been close to three years since Babar last scored his Test century, with his last three-figure score in the format dating back to December 2022 against New Zealand.
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The right-handed batter looked set to break the century drought and bring up ton number 10 in Tests, but a run-out against the run of play ended his hopes, and he had to walk back on 88 in the first innings of the second Test against the West Indies.
Other Ranking movers
Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique also made a significant jump in the latest ICC Test rankings following his impressive performance against the West Indies, while several other players have also climbed the charts after recent international and World Cup League 2 matches.
Shafique was named Player of the Match after producing an unbeaten 160 in the first innings and following it up with an unbeaten 24. His performances have propelled him 25 places up the Test batting rankings to 32nd position.
There was movement in the Test bowling rankings as well. West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph climbed one spot to 19th after taking three wickets in the match.
The recently concluded drawn Test series between Pakistan and the West Indies did little to improve either team’s position in the ICC World Test Championship standings. Both sides remain in the bottom two places of the points table. Australia continue to lead the WTC standings with a points percentage of 87.50 after winning seven of their eight matches. South Africa occupies second place with 75.00 percentage points, while New Zealand are third on 72.22.
Speaking of the ODI Rankings, Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz climbed three places to 11th after scores of 32 and 71 in the second and third ODIs against Ireland.