Noman Ali climbs to career-best 5th in ICC Test rankings, Babar and Shaeen fall

The ICC Test rankings have seen significant movement this week, as Pakistan's spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan earned notable advancements following their outstanding performances in the recent Test series against the West Indies.

Meanwhile, several prominent Pakistani players saw a dip in their rankings due to underwhelming performances.

 Noman’s remarkable 16 wickets in the two-match series against the West Indies propelled him to a career-best fifth position in the ICC Test bowler rankings. He gained 806 rating points, marking a stellar achievement for the left-arm spinner. Sajid Khan, who took 15 wickets during the same series, climbed two spots to 21st with 644 points.

In a further boost for Pakistan, mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed also moved up two places to 50th, improving his position from 52nd in the previous rankings.

However, the ranking update was less favorable for some other Pakistani bowlers.

Pakistan's star left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi fell one spot to 22nd, now sitting on 641 points. Mohammad Abbas, who was omitted from the West Indies series, dropped to 27th place with 607 points.

Naseem Shah also slipped four places to 40th, while Khurram Shahzad saw a fall to 65th. Aamer Jamal now occupies the 73rd spot, with Mir Hamza placed 91st.

On the global scale, India’s Jasprit Bumrah continues to dominate as the number one Test bowler, followed by Australia’s Pat Cummins and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada in second and third positions, respectively.

In the ICC Test batter rankings, Pakistan’s red-ball vice-captain Saud Shakeel experienced a slight dip, falling one position to ninth with 739 points.

Mohammad Rizwan, who showed resilience with the bat, moved up two places to 15th. However, captain Babar Azam’s struggles in the West Indies series saw him drop three spots to 19th.

Agha Salman also saw a significant fall, dropping five places to 32nd with 592 points. Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq also experienced drops, falling seven and two places to 49th and 51st, respectively.

England’s Joe Root remains the top-ranked Test batter, followed by Harry Brook and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

Meanwhile, in the ICC T20I rankings, Babar Azam holds onto his position as the fifth-ranked batter with 712 points.

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan has risen one place to eighth with 704 points.

Saim Ayub, after a stellar 2024, retains his 57th spot with 483 points, while Fakhar Zaman, who has been sidelined from international action, moves up one place to 67th. Iftikhar Ahmed, however, drops to 78th.

Australia’s Travis Head remains the number one T20I batter, with India’s Tilak Varma climbing to second place following an outstanding performance in the ongoing series against England. Phil Salt rounds out the top three.

In the T20I bowler rankings, Shaheen Afridi dropped to 22nd with 599 points, while Haris Rauf slid one place to 30th. However, Abbas Afridi made notable progress, moving up two spots to 42nd with 526 points.

Mohammad Wasim Jr. also gained three places to 76th, while Naseem Shah moved up two positions to 79th.

England’s Adil Rashid overtook West Indies’ Akeal Hosein to become the number one T20I bowler after an impressive spell against India.

Rashid is followed by Hosein and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga in the top three.

India’s Varun Chakravarthy surged 25 places to fifth, bolstered by his fifer in the third T20I against England. Jofra Archer also made a significant leap, jumping 13 spots to sixth.