Star batsman Babar Azam has recently fallen out of the top 10 in the ICC men’s Test batters ranking, marking his first exit from this elite group in over four and a half years. The former captain now stands at number 12 with 712 points, having dropped three places due to a recent dip in form.
His struggle is evident as the 29-year-old has not scored a half-century in his last 16 Test innings. In a recent two-match series against Bangladesh, he managed only 64 runs across four innings at home.
Mohammad Rizwan remains the only Pakistani batter in the top 10, holding the 10th position. Another notable Pakistani, Saud Shakil, has dropped seven places to rank 20th, while Salman Ali Agha has climbed nine, landing at 31st.
Conversely, Joe Root of England has surged to the top of the ICC Test Batter Rankings after scoring two consecutive hundreds against Sri Lanka. With 922 rating points, Root is just one point shy of surpassing his personal best of 923, achieved in July 2022 at Edgbaston.
This recent match also saw positive shifts for several Sri Lankan players. Kamindu Mendis advanced 11 places to 25th, and Asitha Fernando broke into the top ten bowlers for the first time.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh celebrated a series win over Pakistan, with several players increasing the rankings. Litton Das’s innings of 138 propelled him 12 places to 15th in the batting rankings. Mehdi Hasan Miraz advanced to 75th as a batsman and 7th among all-rounders. Bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana also reached career-best positions.
Read: Bangladesh Whitewashes Pakistan in Historic Test Series Win
