Babar demoted in ICC Test rankings

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been demoted to third place in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) latest Test batters' rankings on Wednesday.

Babar was promoted to his career-best second spot after the home series against England. However, his recent performance in the ongoing series against New Zealand has caused him to lose the second spot and demote to third.

The prolific batter scored 161 runs in the first innings of the opening Test against New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.

However, he could only score 14 runs in the second innings of that match.

In addition, Babar got unlucky during the first innings of the second Test at the same venue as he was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just 24 runs following a mix-up with Imam-ul-Haq.

Meanwhile, Australia batter Steve Smith overtook Babar to claim the second spot.

Earlier, the 28-year-old got a promotion in the latest ICC Test rankings after he scored 348 runs in three home Tests against England.

After concluding the home Test series against England as the third-highest run-scorer, Babar climbed up to his career-best second spot in ICC Test batters' rankings.

Pakistan opening batter Abdullah Shafique, who has been having a tough time after the first Test against England, also dropped 11 ranks, moving to 37th place.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed has improved three spots in the ranking, claiming 60th place.

On the other hand, Australia star batter Marnus Labuschagne retained the top batter rankings, while his compatriot and skipper Pat Cummins has held the top place in the Test bowling rankings.