Babar Azam moves up in ICC Test rankings

Pakistan captain, Babar Azam has witnessed an improvement in the latest ICC Men’s Test rankings. This follows his team's impressive 2-0 victory against Sri Lanka in the longer format of the game.

Babar, widely recognized as an exceptional batter, has climbed two spots to secure the fourth position in the rankings.

Sitting ahead of Babar are three other remarkable players: Steve Smith from Australia in third place, Joe Root from England in second place, and Kane Williamson from New Zealand, who currently holds the top spot.

Babar Azam is at number 4 in the latest TEST rankings with rating points of 829. pic.twitter.com/0HGB0iIAjP

— Asad Abdullah (@asad_qureshi257) August 2, 2023

Pakistan's unbeaten start to the new ICC World Test Championship cycle has seen a handful of their players make good ground on the rankings, with Abdullah Shafique (up 27 places to 21st), Mohammad Rizwan (up four spots to equal 29th) and Agha Salman (up 23 positions to 35th) shooting up the list for Test batters following the side's victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Their bowlers were also rewarded, with rising pacer Naseem Shah up seven spots to equal 37th and left-arm spinner Noman Ali improving 13 places to 42nd the most notable improvers.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, who bagged six wickets in two Tests against Sri Lanka, has jumped three positions to sixth.