Saud Shakeel, Noman Ali climb in latest ICC Test rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan’s players have witnessed significant movement in the latest ICC Test Rankings following South Africa's impressive victory over Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 final at Lord’s.

Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel has broken into the top 10 of the ICC men’s Test batting tankings, climbing to seventh place with 739 rating points. 

However, Mohammad Rizwan experienced a drop, now ranked 16th with 671 points, while Babar Azam remains steady at 21st with 651 points.

Salman Ali Agha sits at 31st with 592 points, followed by captain Shan Masood, who occupies 45th spot with 542 points. 

Among other Pakistani batters, Abdullah Shafique is placed at 51st, Kamran Ghulam at 81st, and Saim Ayub at 88th.

Leading the latest Test batting chart is England’s Joe Root, followed by Harry Brook and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in second and third places respectively.

South Africa's Aiden Markram, named Player of the Match in the WTC final, rose seven places to 11th, just two points shy of the top 10. 

His teammate David Bedingham made a notable leap of 17 spots to 40th, sharing the position with Cameron Green of Australia.

In the Test bowling rankings, Pakistan spinner Noman Ali has made a remarkable entry into the top five, now ranked fourth with 806 points. 

Sajid Khan and Shaheen Afridi have held on to the 21st and 23rd positions, respectively, while Mohammad Abbas is placed 29th.

Other 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.

South African pacer Lungi Ngidi, who delivered a match-defining spell in the second innings of the WTC final, surged seven places to 37th, where he is now tied with Lahiru Kumara and Naseem Shah.

For Australia, veteran pacer Mitchell Starc moved up the bowling and all-rounder rankings, securing 10th place in both lists after a five-wicket haul and a gritty half-century in the final. 

All-rounder Beau Webster, Australia’s top scorer in the first innings, rose 13 spots in the batting rankings.

Among bowlers, India’s Jasprit Bumrah continues to reign as the number one Test bowler, with Kagiso Rabada of South Africa in second and Australian captain Pat Cummins in third.