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.
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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.
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