In the recent MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings released on Wednesday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi showed notable improvements. Babar Azam rose by two places to secure the fourth position in the Test Batting Rankings, currently led by New Zealand’s Kane Williamson with 883 points.
Former England skipper Joe Root climbed one spot to second place, while New Zealand’s Steve Smith moved up two places to third. Additionally, Smith’s young teammate Harry Brook achieved a career-high rating, landing at the ninth spot in the rankings after his impressive performance of 363 runs in the series.
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Pakistan’s strong start in the new ICC World Test Championship cycle resulted in several of their players making significant progress in the rankings. Abdullah Shafique climbed 27 places to secure the 21st position, Mohammad Rizwan moved up four spots to share the 29th place, and Agha Salman made a substantial leap of 23 positions to reach the 35th spot in the Test batting rankings after the team’s victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
The Pakistani bowlers were also rewarded for their performances. Fast bowler Naseem Shah climbed seven spots to share the 37th position, while left-arm spinner Noman Ali improved by 13 places to secure the 42nd spot in the rankings, making them the most notable improvers. Shaheen Shah Afridi, the left-arm pacer, also had a remarkable rise of three places, securing the sixth position in the rankings.
In the ODI rankings, there were fewer changes this week. However, experienced Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav moved up eight places to the 14th spot in the list of ODI bowlers, thanks to his impressive display with the ball against the West Indies.
