Pakistan must win Mirpur Test to remain 3rd in Test ranking
Pakistan, which faces Bangladesh in the second and final Test in Mirpur on Wednesday, must win to retain its third place in the latest Test ranking.
Should Pakistan succeed in doing so, Misbah-ul-Haq’s side will fall to 102 points but will be ranked above England when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
Conversely, a Bangladesh win would see Pakistan drop behind England (102) and New Zealand (99) in fifth position on 96 points, while if the Test is drawn, Pakistan will join New Zealand on 99 points but will be ranked above the Black Caps by a fraction of a point.
On the other hand, England has slipped one place to fourth in the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings following its five-wicket defeat in the Barbados Test, which has helped the West Indies to level the three-Test series at one-all.
The annual Test Team Rankings update like last week’s ODI and T20I tables will be carried out after the Mirpur Test.
Meanwhile, double-centurions from the Khulna Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan have made upward movements in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, which were released today.
Tamim Iqbal, who scored a Test best 206 and won the player of the match award, has gained eight places to join Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed in 26th place (up by three places), while Mohammad Hafeez’s highest Test score of 224 has propelled him eight places to a career-high 34th to date.
Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career after rising three places to 18th following his score of 82.
Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes is also on a charge, having rocketed 24 places to a career-best 67th to date after scores of 51 and 150, while Mominul Haque has also moved up two places to a career-high 23rd position following scores of 80 and 21.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has moved to a career high 31st after claiming match figures of 6 for 163 although his team-mate Shakib Al Hasan has dropped two places to 15th. Shakib, however, remains the number one all rounder in Test rankings.
Comments