Significant Shifts in ICC Test Rankings

Following South Africa’s compelling triumph over Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 final held at Lord’s, the most recent ICC Test Rankings reveal considerable movement among Pakistan’s cricket players.

Saud Shakeel’s Ascent

Test team vice-captain Saud Shakeel has made a notable entry into the top 10 of the ICC Men’s Test batting rankings. He now holds the seventh position, marked by a rating of 739 points.

Other Pakistani Batters
  • Mohammad Rizwan has descended to 16th place with 671 points.
  • Babar Azam maintains his position at 21st with 651 points.
  • Salman Ali Agha is currently ranked 31st with 592 points.
  • Captain Shan Masood is in 45th place with 542 points.

Further down the list for Pakistani batters, Abdullah Shafique is positioned at 51st, Kamran Ghulam at 81st, and Saim Ayub at 88th.

Top Performers in Batting

England’s Joe Root is currently at the forefront of the Test batting chart, with Harry Brook and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson securing the second and third positions, respectively.

Other Notable Movements

Aiden Markram of South Africa, who was recognized as Player of the Match in the WTC final, has ascended seven places to 11th, trailing the top 10 by a mere two points. His teammate, David Bedingham, has significantly improved, climbing 17 places to 40th, where he shares the spot with Australia’s Cameron Green.

Test Bowling Rankings

Pakistani spinner Noman Ali has made an impressive entrance into the top five, now holding the fourth position with 806 points. Sajid Khan and Shaheen Afridi have retained their 21st and 23rd positions, respectively, while Mohammad Abbas is ranked 29th.

Additional Pakistani bowlers include Abrar Ahmed at 52nd, Khurram Shahzad at 64th, Aamer Jamal at 72nd, Mir Hamza at 93rd, Salman Ali Agha at 95th, and Zahid Mahmood at 97th.

Other Bowling Highlights

South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi, following a critical spell in the second innings of the WTC final, has jumped seven places to 37th, now sharing the spot with Lahiru Kumara and Naseem Shah. Australia’s Mitchell Starc has progressed in both bowling and all-rounder rankings, achieving 10th place in both lists after a notable performance in the final.

Beau Webster, Australia’s leading scorer in the first innings, has climbed 13 places in the batting rankings.

Leading Bowlers

India’s Jasprit Bumrah remains the top Test bowler, followed by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada in second place and Australia’s captain Pat Cummins in third.