Senior Pakistan players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have experienced significant drops in the latest ICC Test batting rankings. Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has also fallen out of the ICC’s top 10 rankings after being excluded from the playing XI for the Multan Test against England.
In the latest ICC Test batting charts, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan plummeted 12 places, dropping from seventh to 19th with 678 rating points. His teammate, former captain Babar Azam, also fell from 12th to 15th as he continues to struggle with the bat. Babar hasn’t scored a fifty-plus total in Tests since his match-saving 161 against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022. He has gone through 18 Test innings without a half-century.
Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s only representative in the ICC Test bowling rankings’ top 10, dropped out of the list after poor performances against Australia, Bangladesh, and England. He now ranks 14th among bowlers in Tests. Currently, Shaheen is Pakistan’s only player in the top 20, with Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah following at 34th and 36th, respectively.
The Pakistan team management faces a decision on when to reinstate Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in the playing XI. Meanwhile, Rizwan had another disappointing outing, scoring just 41 runs in the first innings of the second Test against England, failing to capitalize on his opportunity.
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