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Pakistan captain Babar Azam rose to a career-high second place in the latest ICC Mens Test Rankings for batters, released on Wednesday, while Indian spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel advanced in their respective bowlers rankings.
Babar scored two half-centuries (78 and 54) in the final Test of Pakistan’s ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against England in Karachi, which Pakistan lost 3-0. His knocks assisted him in passing Steve Smith, who had 36 and six in a low-scoring game between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane.
Pakistan’s captain, who is ranked first in ODIs and fourth in T20Is, trails Marnus Labuschagne in the Test rankings by 61 points.
Australia batter Travis Head, whose first innings score of 92 was the highest in the Brisbane Test, has risen three places to a career-high fourth position as he surpasses the 800-rating point mark for the first time. His previous best was fifth in January of this year.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s knocks of 90 and 102 not out have lifted him 10 places to 16th in the latest weekly update, which also takes into account performances in the first Test of the WTC series between Bangladesh and India in Chattogram, while Shreyas Iyer (up 11 places to 26th) and Shubman Gill (up 10 places to 54th) have also gained after some fine performances in the match.
Others who have moved up the batters’ list include England captain Ben Stokes (up eight places to 23rd), South Africa’s Temba Bavuma (up eight places to 24th), and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (up four places to 37th). Harry Brook of England has entered the top 50 for the first time after scoring centuries in all three Tests in Pakistan.
South African quick Kagiso Rabada has risen four places to third in the bowlers’ rankings after taking four wickets in each innings at Gabba. Rabada, a former world number one bowler, was third in August this year before falling down the rankings.
After helping India win the Chattogram Test, spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have made rapid progress.
Yadav’s Player of the Match performance of eight for 113 has moved him up 19 places to 49th, while Patel’s five wickets in the match have moved him up 10 places to a career-high 18th.
Marcon Jansen, Jack Leach, Mark Wood, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Scott Boland, and Mohammad Siraj are among the other bowlers who have risen through the ranks.
Australia has maintained its lead at the top of the World Tennis Championships table, with India in second place.
Source:OCN
