Babar crashes out of Top 10 as Abbas, Saud make big strides in ICC Test rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Wednesday crashed out of the Top 10 of the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings after his below-par performance in the second fixture of the ongoing away series against England at Lord's.

Babar, who missed the England Test series opener in Leeds due to an injury, returned for the Lord's Test but managed single-digit scores of eight and six in the two innings, respectively.

His inability to score big in the fixture resulted in him slipping down five places and crashing out of the Top 10 of the batting rankings.

The 31-year-old, as a result, now holds the 15th spot in the rankings, which continued to be led by England's Harry Brook, while the latter's compatriot Joe Root was replaced by Australian counterpart Steve Smith at the second position.

Besides Babar, three Pakistan players, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Shan Masood, also slipped in the Test batting rankings.

Amongst the senior trio, the wicketkeeper batter suffered the worst downfall as he descended seven places and is now ranked 33rd. Agha and Masood, on the other hand, both slipped down three spots to 41st and 43rd positions, respectively.

The solitary positive for Pakistan in the batting rankings was Saud Shakeel's massive stride as the left-handed middle-order batter jumped 15 places to 18th position on the back of his gutsy 97-run knock during the second innings of the Lord's Test, which the Green Shirts lost by 194 runs.

Meanwhile, experienced right-arm seamer Mohammad Abbas, who has been the standout performer for the Green Shirts on the England tour, was also rewarded for his consistent performances.

The 36-year-old, who has taken 10 wickets in three innings at a remarkable average of 20.80, jumped 10 places to secure the 15th position in the latest update of the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings.