Babar Azam rises, Saud Shakeel falls in latest ICC Test rankings

The ICC Test rankings have brought mixed fortunes for players across the cricketing world, with significant movements in both the batting and bowling charts.

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam climbed to the 12th spot in the ICC Test batting rankings after scoring 58 and 81 in the recent series against South Africa, inching closer to a top-10 position.

Red-ball vice-captain Saud Shakeel slipped five places down from sixth to 11th with 724 points

Mohammad Rizwan moved up two places to secure the 19th position, Salman Ali Agha gained one spot to reach 22nd and skipper Shan Masood leaped to 45th following a series of consistent performances.

India’s Rishabh Pant reclaimed his place in the top 10 Test batters, rising to ninth after scoring 40 and 61 in Sydney.

Yashasvi Jaiswal remained steady at No. 4, behind England’s Joe Root (No. 1), Harry Brook (No. 2) and New Zealand's Kane Williamson (No. 3).

Australia's Scott Boland achieved a career milestone by entering the top 10 of the ICC Test bowling rankings for the first time.

His remarkable performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he took 21 wickets at an average of 13.19, propelled him to joint-ninth place, climbing an impressive 29 positions.

Boland's match haul of 10 for 86 at the SCG sealed a 3-1 series victory for Australia and earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.

Jasprit Bumrah remains the top-ranked Test bowler with a record 908 rating points, followed by Pat Cummins at No. 2 and Kagiso Rabada at No. 3.

South Africa's dominant batting display in the second Test against Pakistan was reflected in their rankings.

Temba Bavuma’s century lifted him to a career-best sixth place, while Ryan Rickelton’s double-century saw him soar 48 places to 55th.

Kyle Verreynne also moved up four spots to 24th.

Pakistan’s bowlers faced setbacks in the latest rankings. Noman Ali dropped two spots to 11th, while Shaheen Afridi fell three places to 21st.

Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah also slipped to 24th and 34th positions, respectively.

Abrar Ahmed, however, climbed one spot to 58th, showcasing his potential to rise further.

Meanwhile, Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal experienced significant drops, sliding to 63rd and 80th positions, respectively.