Babar Azam has faced further disappointment after the latest ICC Test rankings were released. The 29-year-old Pakistan captain dropped out of the top 10, sliding to 12th place with 712 rating points. This drop follows a poor series against Bangladesh, where Babar managed just 64 runs across two Tests, failing to score a fifty. His last fifty-plus score in Test cricket dates back to December 2022, highlighting his recent struggles with form. Pakistan’s performance was disappointing as Bangladesh whitewashed them with a resilient display.
In contrast, Mohammad Rizwan remains Pakistan’s top-ranked batter, holding onto the 10th position. Rizwan was arguably the best performer for Pakistan during the series, maintaining his spot among the world’s elite Test batters.
Meanwhile, the Indian trio of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli have retained their positions in the rankings, occupying 6th, 7th, and 8th places, respectively. With an upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, they have an opportunity to climb even higher.
On the other hand, Joe Root continues to shine. The former England captain scored twin centuries in the recent Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka, solidifying his top spot in the rankings with 922 points. Root is now just one point away from his career-best rating of 923, achieved in July 2022. Remarkably, he is closing in on Don Bradman’s all-time highest rating of 961 points in Test cricket, with a game still left against Sri Lanka and an upcoming series against Pakistan.
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