Babar Azam Moves up in ICC Test Rankings, Close to Becoming Number One in All Three Formats

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam moved up to no. 3 in ICC Test rankings for the first time in his 41-match career after scoring 174 runs in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle.

The start batter from Pakistan has gone past Steven Smith with a career best rating of 874 points after posting scores of 119 and 55 in the first Test. Joe Root and Marnus Labuschagne remain one and two on the table with 923 and 885 points respectively.

Babar, the No. 1 batter in ODIs and T20Is, is currently the only batter in the top three of the ICC rankings in every format of international cricket. He is just two Test spots away from becoming the No.1 batter across all formats.

Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique, meanwhile, jumped 23 spots to No. 16 after his fourth-innings 160 that earned Pakistan a win in that Test. Shafique is currently on 671 rating points and has now amassed 720 runs in his first six Tests, which has only been topped by Sunil Gavaskar (692) and Don Bradman (687) after their first six Tests.

The previous best by a Pakistan batter after six Tests was Saeed Ahmed’s 614 rating points.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi moved up one place to a career best-equaling third position after grabbing four wickets in the first innings. Hasan Ali and Yasir Shah have gained a slot each to reach 13th and 32nd positions, respectively.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal has gained 11 slots to reach 18th position after scores of 76 and 94 not out while Kusal Mendis (up two places to 47th) and Oshada Fernando (up 11 places to 58th) too have made headway in the Test rankings.

Top Three in Every Format: