DUBAI – International Cricket Council unveils latest Test Batsmen Rankings,Pakistan’s Babar Azam gets a big booster.
Babar Azam has entered the top 10 in the batsmen’s list of the MRF TyresICC Test Player Rankings for the first time, moving from 13th to ninthposition after his unbeaten knock of 102. He is currently No.1 in the T20Irankings and has enjoyed a best ranking of second in the ODIs.
According to an official media release by the icc-cricket.com, Monday’srankings update includes the drawn first Test between Pakistan and SriLanka in Rawalpindi and the home side players have a few things to cheerabout in terms of rankings.
Opener Abid Ali’s 109*, which made him the first male cricketer and onlythe second after former England woman opener Enid Bakewell to scorecenturies on both Test and ODI debuts, has entered the rankings at animpressive 78th position.——————————
*Batting Rankings*
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Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (up two places to 47th) and Naseem Shah(up 15 places to 110th) have also gained in the latest update.
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Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne has continued his surge up therankings, entering the top five in the list for batsmen after scores of 143and 50 in the Perth Test, which his side won by 296 runs against NewZealand.
Labuschagne, who narrowly missed joining Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas andMudassar Nazar in scoring at least 150 in three successive Test innings,has gained three slots to occupy fifth place. He has overtaken compatriotDavid Warner and is the second-highest ranked Australia batsman after SteveSmith.
Travis Head has moved up two slots to 32nd position while the Australiabowlers to advance include pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.Starc’s ‘player of the match’ effort of 9/97 in the first Test has liftedhim to a career-best fifth spot and career-best 806 rating points.
Starc was also fifth in March 2018 while his previous best points aggregate was805 in December 2016. Hazlewood has moved from eighth to seventh position.
