Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has climbed back into the top 10 of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings for the first time since September 2024, rising five places to No. 10 after scores of 88 and 24 not out helped Pakistan beat West Indies by eight wickets in Port of Spain to level the two-match ICC World Test Championship series. Abdullah Shafique, named Player of the Match for an unbeaten 160 and 24 not out, jumped 25 places to 32nd, while off-spinner Sajid Khan moved up five spots to 30th in the bowling rankings. Travis Head continues to lead the Test batting table, Jasprit Bumrah heads the bowling rankings, and Ravindra Jadeja remains the top-ranked all-rounder.
Babar Azam’s five-place climb to 10th puts him back among the elite for the first time in two years, a return built on an 88 in Pakistan’s first innings and an unbeaten 24 as they chased down the target in Port of Spain. It ends a run of exactly the kind of absence that would have troubled a batter of his standing — out of the top 10 since September 2024, having spent the previous five years there without interruption.
The context sharpens the achievement. Babar’s career-best mark of No. 2 came in December 2022, against England at home. Getting back to double figures on the list says as much about Pakistan’s turnaround in Port of Spain as it does about his own form.
Shafique’s twin unbeaten knocks reshape the order
Abdullah Shafique’s Player of the Match performance — 160 not out in the first innings and 24 not out to help finish the chase — carried him 25 places up the Test batting rankings to 32nd. That leap took him past Marnus Labuschagne, K.L. Rahul, Salman Agha and Shan Masood in one move. It was the standout individual contribution of the match, and the ranking shift reflects it directly.
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Brandon King’s rankings rise came despite finishing the match unable to bat in the second innings because of a back injury. His 46 off 50 balls in the first innings was enough to lift him from 73rd to joint-69th in the batting table. Among the bowlers, Shamar Joseph’s three wickets in the match moved him up one place to 19th.
Pakistan’s bowling attack climbs across the board
Sajid Khan’s five-place rise to 30th headlines a broader shift in Pakistan’s bowling rankings from the Port of Spain Test. Mohammad Ali advanced eight places to 85th, while left-arm spinner Ali Usman jumped 58 places to 97th. Between them, the trio’s movement points to a Pakistan attack that did enough with the ball to complement the batting turnaround that levelled the series.
The series levelled, but standings unmoved
The result squared the two-match World Test Championship series, yet it did nothing to shift either side’s position in the WTC table — Pakistan and West Indies remain in the bottom two places. The individual rankings gains for both sides sit apart from that reality: player form moved, team standing did not.
Elsewhere on the ladder
Travis Head holds the top spot in the Test batting rankings, Jasprit Bumrah sits first among bowlers, and Ravindra Jadeja remains the leading all-rounder — all unchanged by the Port of Spain result. In the ODI rankings, Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz rose three places to 11th in the batting table after scoring 32 and 71 across the second and third matches against Ireland. Ireland’s Mark Adair returned to 17th in the ODI bowling rankings following two-wicket returns in both matches against Afghanistan, while Scotland’s Brandon McMullen climbed 10 spots to joint-48th after taking three wickets apiece against Canada and the UAE in Dundee. Oman’s Hammad Mirza moved up two places to 85th and UAE’s Rahul Chopra advanced 37 places to joint-97th in the batting rankings, both off performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket League 2 series in Dundee.
Rankings — Test Batting: Babar Azam up 5 to No. 10 | Abdullah Shafique up 25 to No. 32 | Brandon King up from 73rd to joint-69th
Rankings — Test Bowling: Shamar Joseph up 1 to No. 19 | Sajid Khan up 5 to No. 30 | Mohammad Ali up 8 to No. 85 | Ali Usman up 58 to No. 97
Rankings — Test Leaders: Travis Head (batting), Jasprit Bumrah (bowling), Ravindra Jadeja (all-rounder)
Rankings — ODI Batting: Rahmanullah Gurbaz up 3 to No. 11 (32 & 71 vs Ireland) | Hammad Mirza up 2 to No. 85 | Rahul Chopra up 37 to joint-97th
Rankings — ODI Bowling: Mark Adair returned to No. 17 (2 wickets in each of two matches vs Afghanistan) | Brandon McMullen up 10 to joint-48th (3 wickets each vs Canada and UAE)
Standings: Pakistan and West Indies occupy the bottom two positions in the WTC table despite the series result
Schedule: Pakistan to face England next; Shan Masood has returned to training in preparation
