Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi rise in latest ICC Test and ODI rankings

In the latest ICC ODI rankings, Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam continues to lead the pack, maintaining his position as the number one ODI batter in the world. Azam, who is a mainstay in Pakistan's top order, holds onto the top spot with 822 rating points, cementing his reputation as one of the premier players in the format.

Meanwhile, fellow Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman remains in the top 10, sitting at 9th with 675 rating points. However, Imam ul Haq sees a slight dip, dropping from 11th to 12th, with 666 rating points.

In a positive shift for Pakistan's bowling department, left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi has made a significant jump, rising three places from seventh to fourth in the latest rankings. Afridi's stellar performance in the first ODI against Australia, where he was key in Pakistan’s bowling attack, earned him 655 rating points. However, his teammate Haris Rauf has experienced a sharp decline, dropping four places from 23rd to 27th, despite claiming three wickets in the same match. Naseem Shah, meanwhile, holds steady at 69th position with 436 rating points.

Among the notable movements in the ODI rankings, West Indies' Shai Hope surged five places to 12th following his match-winning century in the second ODI against England. Meanwhile, England’s Liam Livingstone made a remarkable 32-place jump to 58th after scoring a century in the same match.

In the Test rankings, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha all saw upward movements. Azam climbed to 17th, Rizwan improved by two places to 20th, and Agha moved up to 19th. However, Pakistan's Vice-Captain Saud Shakeel dropped two spots to 9th, while skipper Shan Masood faced a significant dip, falling two places to 59th.

Shaheen Afridi, who has been a standout in both formats, continues to hold his place in the Test rankings at 15th, while Noman Ali and Sajid Khan also maintained their positions in the top 40. Hasan Ali, despite being out of the team, made a small climb from 36th to 35th in the Test rankings.

The ICC rankings also saw significant movements in the Test Batter Rankings, with Rishabh Pant of India and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell making significant strides. Pant rose five places to 6th after strong performances in the recent Test series against New Zealand, while Mitchell moved up eight places to 7th following an 82-run knock against India.

England's Joe Root holds a strong lead at the top of the rankings, with Kane Williamson, Harry Brook (third), Yashasvi Jaiswal (fourth), and Steve Smith (fifth) trailing closely behind.