Saud Shakeel, Saim Ayub make gains in latest ICC Test Rankings

Pakistan batters Saud Shakeel and Saim Ayub have made significant progress in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings, while England’s Joe Root has reclaimed the top spot in the batting charts following his side’s win over India in the third Test at Lord’s.

Saud Shakeel has climbed one place to reach 12th position in the Test batting rankings, now holding 739 rating points. Meanwhile, Saim Ayub sitting at joint-83rd with South Africa’s Marco Jansen and fellow Pakistan player Aamer Jamal, all three sharing 352 points.

Among other Pakistani batters, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have held on to their respective 21st and 23rd spots. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha, however, has dropped three places to 37th. Test captain Shan Masood remains at 48th, while Abdullah Shafique has moved up to 51st with 520 points. Kamran Ghulam continues to hold the 76th spot.

At the top of the rankings, Joe Root’s solid performance against India has helped him leapfrog his teammate Harry Brook, who has now slipped to third. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson is currently ranked second.

In the bowling rankings, Pakistan spinner Noman Ali has held on to his fifth-place position with 806 points. Sajid Khan has gone down to 20th, and Shaheen Afridi has also dropped to 21st. Mohammad Abbas is steady at 27th, followed by Naseem Shah at 35th and Abrar Ahmed at 50th.

Khurram Shahzad is ranked 64th, Aamer Jamal has slipped to 72nd, and Mir Hamza sits at 93rd. Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mahmood complete the list for Pakistan at 95th and 97th, respectively.

India's Jasprit Bumrah continues to lead the Test bowling rankings, followed by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada in second and Australia’s Pat Cummins in third.

In the ICC Test all-rounders list, Pakistan players saw minor drops. Noman Ali is down two spots to 22nd, Sajid Khan has fallen to 31st, and Salman Ali Agha sits at 33rd. Aamer Jamal has dropped to 42nd, while Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah remain at 55th and 75th. Mohammad Abbas holds the 80th position.

India’s Ravindra Jadeja stays on top among Test all-rounders, with Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz in second place and South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder in third.