Babar, Abbas climb in ICC Test rankings despite Windies defeat

Pakistan captain Babar Azam and veteran fast bowler Mohammad Abbas have been rewarded in the latest ICC Test rankings after impressive individual performances in the opening Test against the West Indies.

Although Pakistan suffered a 90-run defeat at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and fell 1-0 behind in the two-match series, both players registered notable gains in the updated rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday.

Abbas emerged as Pakistan’s standout performer with the ball in the series opener. The experienced pacer claimed three wickets in the first innings before producing a brilliant spell of 5-22 in the second, finishing the match with eight wickets overall.

His performance has earned him a significant boost in the ICC Test bowling rankings, with Abbas climbing nine places to 17th position.

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Noman Ali retained his place as Pakistan’s highest-ranked Test bowler, remaining seventh in the world rankings despite not featuring in the match.

There was less encouraging news for some of Pakistan’s other bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi slipped four places to 29th, while off-spinner Sajid Khan dropped one spot to 35th.

In the batting rankings, Babar Azam also enjoyed a rise after leading Pakistan’s resistance in the fourth innings.

The right-hander remained unbeaten on 58 while wickets fell around him during the chase of 211, producing one of the few bright spots for the visitors in a difficult match.

His fighting half-century helped him move up four places to 15th in the ICC Test batting rankings.

Former captain Shan Masood was another Pakistani batter to make progress after scoring a century in the first innings. The left-hander climbed eight places to 36th position.

However, not all Pakistani batters enjoyed upward movement. Saud Shakeel dropped three places to 24th, while wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan slipped eight spots to 26th.

Salman Ali Agha also fell four places and is now ranked 32nd in the latest Test batting standings.