3 weeks ago
Babar returns to Test top 10 as Pakistan stars surge
Cricket is a sport where players are ranked by how well they play.
The ICC keeps lists of the best batters and bowlers in the world.
Pakistan's team traveled to the Caribbean to play the West Indies.
They won the second match by eight wickets, which means they finished with plenty of players left.
Their captain, Babar Azam, scored 88 runs and then helped his team finish the chase.
Because he played so well, he moved up five places to number 10 on the world's best batters list.
His teammate Abdullah Shafique scored 160 runs without being dismissed.
He was named Player of the Match and jumped 25 places.
Spinner Sajid Khan also moved up after bowling well.
Rankings are updated after every series, so players can rise or fall depending on how they perform.
Babar Azam rose five places to 10th in the ICC Men's Test batting rankings, returning to the top 10 for the first time since September 2024.
Pakistan beat the West Indies by eight wickets in Port of Spain, levelling the two-Test World Test Championship series.
Abdullah Shafique, Player of the Match with an unbeaten 160, jumped 25 places to 32nd among Test batters.
Sajid Khan moved up five places to 30th among Test bowlers, while Mohammad Ali rose to 85th and Ali Usman climbed 58 spots to 97th.
Travis Head, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja retain the No.1 Test batting, bowling and all-rounder spots, with Australia leading the WTC standings.
- Who
- Pakistan captain Babar Azam and teammates Abdullah Shafique, Sajid Khan, Mohammad Ali and Ali Usman, plus West Indies and Afghanistan players in the latest ICC rankings.
- What
- Pakistan's eight-wicket victory over the West Indies boosted its players' positions in the ICC Men's Test rankings, with Babar returning to the top 10 and Shafique making the biggest leap.
- Where
- Port of Spain, where the second Test was played; the rankings update was announced from Dubai.
- When
- The latest ICC rankings update, following Pakistan's Caribbean Test campaign (no exact dates given in the articles).
- Why
- Babar scored 88 and an unbeaten 24, Shafique hit an unbeaten 160, and Sajid Khan impressed with his off-spin, lifting their individual rankings.
Key facts
- Babar Azam Test batting rank
- 10th (up 5 places), first top-10 appearance since September 2024
- Abdullah Shafique Test batting rank
- 32nd (up 25 places), Player of the Match
- Sajid Khan Test bowling rank
- 30th (up 5 places)
- Ali Usman Test bowling rank
- 97th (up 58 places)
- Match result
- Pakistan beat West Indies by eight wickets in Port of Spain
- No.1 Test rankings
- Travis Head (batting), Jasprit Bumrah (bowling), Ravindra Jadeja (all-rounder)
- No.1 ODI bowler
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
- WTC standings leaders
- Australia 87.50, South Africa 75.00, New Zealand 72.22
Sources
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