DUBAI: Pakistan batter Babar Azam experienced a significant drop in his position, while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan witnessed a substantial rise in the latest ICC Test Batting Rankings released on Wednesday.
Pakistan suffered their first-ever defeat against Bangladesh in Tests when they succumbed to a 10-wicket defeat in the opening Test of the two-match series. The recent defeat has led to a drop in the ICC Test rankings for the players of Pakistan.
Babar Azam has been out of form lately and gave a forgettable performance in the first Test against Bangladesh, returning with scores of 0 and 22.
The star batter dropped a massive six positions, falling from third to ninth with 734 points, only six points shy of fellow countryman Mohammad Rizwan.
The wicketkeeper batter, on the other hand, enjoyed a substantial surge in the ICC Test Rankings, thanks to his scores of 171 not out and 51.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
Rizwan’s impressive performance has propelled him up seven spots to achieve his career-high ranking, securing a spot in the top 10 for the first time. He is ranked joint-tenth alongside Australia’s Usman Khawaja with 728 rating points.
Pakistan vice-captain Saud Shakeel played a 141-run knock in the first innings before falling for a duck in the second innings, resulting in his one-spot rise to 13th.
Meanwhile, pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi dropped two places to tenth after a below-par performance in the first Test against Bangladesh, returning with figures of 2-88 in the first innings.
Opening batter Abdullah Shafique also sunk three places to 34th after scoring a total of 39 runs across both innings of the Rawalpindi Test.
On the other hand, Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim climbed seven places to reach his career-best 17th, courtesy of his stellar 191-run knock.
READ: Abrar Ahmed joins Pakistan squad for second Bangladesh Test