LAHORE: Pakistan’s players face a new nightmare in the ICC Test rankings after the Lord’s fallout, with Babar Azam slipping to 15th and Mohammad Rizwan dropping to 33rd, leaving the team without a batter in the top 10.
DUBAI: Pakistan’s Test players suffered a mixed bag in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday following their heavy defeat to England at Lord’s, with captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan among the biggest casualties.
Pakistan were beaten by 194 runs in the second Test, allowing England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ICC World Test Championship series.
Babar, who managed just 14 runs across his two innings at Lord’s, fell five places to 15th in the latest Test batting rankings. As a result, the former world No. 1 is now outside the top 10.
Rizwan suffered an even steeper decline after scoring only eight runs in the match. The wicketkeeper-batter dropped seven places to 33rd after being sent back to Pakistan along with six other players following the second Test.
Abdullah Shafique also slid eight places to 35th, while former captain Shan Masood dropped three spots to 43rd.
However, Saud Shakeel provided a rare positive for Pakistan. The left-hander’s crucial 97 in the second innings at Lord’s propelled him 15 places up the rankings to 18th.
With Babar falling out of the top 10, no Pakistan batter now features among the ICC’s top 10 Test batters.
There was better news for Pakistan in the bowling rankings, where Mohammad Abbas made the biggest jump. The veteran pacer claimed nine wickets at Lord’s, including a five-wicket haul in England’s second innings, and climbed 10 places to joint-15th.
England’s dominant performance also reshaped the top end of the rankings. Fast bowler Ollie Robinson, who claimed eight wickets at Lord’s, climbed six places to fifth, while Josh Tongue moved four places to a career-best 13th. Robinson has now risen 22 places since the start of the series.
Meanwhile, Harry Brook retained the No. 1 position among Test batters, while Australia’s Steve Smith moved into second place. Joe Root slipped to third, reshuffling the leading positions after the latest update.
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Elsewhere, South Africa’s Dewald Brevis made a major move in the T20I batting rankings, climbing six places to fourth. The young batter has scored 75, 75 not out and 41 in three matches of the ongoing tri-series in Namibia.
