MIRPUR: Several Pakistan players, including Saud Shakeel and Noman Ali, suffered declines in the latest ICC Test rankings released on Wednesday following the team’s disappointing defeat against Bangladesh in Mirpur.
Pakistan lost the opening Test by 104 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, a result that significantly impacted multiple players across both batting and bowling rankings.
In the batting rankings, Saud Shakeel endured the biggest drop among Pakistan batters after slipping six places from ninth to 15th with 689 rating points. The left-hander managed only 15 runs across two innings during the Mirpur Test.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan retained his 21st position after scoring a half-century in the first innings.
Former captain Babar Azam, who did not feature in the opening Test, dropped one place to 23rd, while Salman Ali Agha also slipped two spots to 29th after scoring 84 runs in the match.
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood fell six places to 46th after a disappointing outing in which he scored just 11 runs.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq dropped four places to 53rd, while Abdullah Shafique, despite not being part of the Test squad, climbed one spot to 54th.
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Debutant Abdullah Fazal entered the rankings at 75th after impressing with twin half-centuries in his maiden Test appearance. Young batter Azan Awais, who scored a century in the match, is ranked 82nd.
On the other hand, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made significant gains after his century and half-century earned him the Player of the Match award. The left-hander jumped 16 places to move to 24th in the rankings.
England stars Joe Root and Harry Brook continue to occupy the top two positions in the Test batting rankings, while Travis Head remains third.
In the bowling rankings, Noman Ali slipped three places from second to fifth despite taking four wickets in the Mirpur Test. The spinner now has 825 rating points.
Fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Abbas retained their 24th and 28th positions, respectively. Meanwhile, Hasan Ali moved up one place to 40th after his performance in the series opener.
Spinner Asif Afridi dropped three places to 82nd, while Salman Ali Agha slipped four spots to 91st among bowlers.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah remains the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, followed by Australia’s Mitchell Starc and New Zealand seamer Matt Henry.
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