Pakistan captain timesofindia.indiatimes.com has returned to the top 10 of the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after climbing five places to No. 10, according to the latest updates. The rise marks his first appearance in the elite batting group since September 2024, ending a drought of nearly two years outside the top tier as detailed by Yardbarker. Babar had previously spent five consecutive years inside the top 10 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 in December 2022.
Babar Azam Re-Enters ICC Test Batting Top 10
The milestone follows Pakistan’s successful Caribbean campaign, which leveled the two-match World Test Championship series 1-1 after an eight-wicket victory over the timesofindia.indiatimes.com in Port of Spain. During the decisive second Test, Babar scored 88 runs in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 24 during the successful run chase. Across four innings in the series, the 31-year-old right-handed batter finished as Pakistan’s top run-getter with 193 runs, which included two half-centuries, bringing his rating points to 716 as reported by Livemint.
Notable Rankings Climbs for Pakistan Teammates
Several other Pakistan players made significant movements in the updated ICC Men’s Test Rankings following their performance in the Caribbean. Opener Abdullah Shafique recorded a major jump after returning to the Test side, scoring an unbeaten 160 in the first innings followed by 24 not out in the chase. That match-winning display earned him the Player of the Match award and propelled him 25 places up to 32nd in the Test batting rankings.
In the bowling department, right-arm spinner Sajid Khan moved up five places to 30th among Test bowlers and also climbed five spots to 32nd in the Test all-rounder rankings after a key contribution to the attack. Additional upward movement came from Mohammad Ali, who rose eight spots to 85th, and left-arm spinner Ali Usman, who registered the largest jump by rising 58 places to 97th.
Wider Context and Global Test Standings
At the very top of the global Test leaderboards, Australia’s Travis Head continues to hold the No. 1 position among Test batters with 853 rating points. India’s Jasprit Bumrah remains the leading Test bowler with 870 rating points, while Ravindra Jadeja occupies the top spot in the Test all-rounder rankings.
Despite the positive momentum from the eight-wicket victory—which marked Pakistan’s first away Test win in over three years—the result left Pakistan and the West Indies sharing the bottom of the World Test Championship table. Australia leads those standings on 87.50 percentage points, followed by South Africa at 75.00 and New Zealand at 72.22.
Upcoming Assignment Against England
The boost in the rankings arrives ahead of Pakistan’s next assignment, a three-match Test series against England. Preparation for the tour received an additional boost as experienced batter timesofindia.indiatimes.com returned to training with the squad at Beckenham. Masood had sustained a finger injury during the opening Test against the West Indies and missed the second match, but his return to training raises hopes of availability for the opening Test in Leeds, which begins on August 19.
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