Despite a loss to the West Indies in the third and final Test in Sharjah ─ and a two-point drop ─ Pakistan remains at the second spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings.
Pakistan, who were top-ranked till India overtook them last month, lost two points despite a series win because they went in with a 44-point lead over the West Indies and the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, according to latest rankings issued by ICC on Friday.
Pakistan remain in second position with 109 points, six points behind India and just one point ahead of third-placed Australia. The West Indies have gained two points to reach 69 points and remain in eighth position.
West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has moved into the top 20 of the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen for the first time after playing a stellar role in his team’s five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final Test that ended on Thursday.
Brathwaite, who became the first opener to remain unbeaten in both innings of a Test match with scores of 142 and 60, has gained 13 places to reach a career-best 19th rank while helping the West Indies pull one back in the series that Pakistan won 2-1.
Pakistan has four batsmen in the top-20 ─ Younis Khan (5th), captain Misbah-ul-Haq (10th), opener Azhar Ali (12th) and Asad Shafiq (17th). Sami Aslam has moved up two positions to a career-best 60th position after posting scores of 74 and 17 in Sharjah.
In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers led by Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Wahab Riaz has gained four places to reach a career-best 24th rank. The left-arm pace bowler took seven wickets in Sharjah, including a haul of five for 88 in the first innings.
For the West Indies, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo has gained seven places to reach a career-best 29th rank after taking seven wickets in the match while captain Jason Holder’s haul of five for 30 in the second innings has helped him move up 12 positions to 47th rank.
