Babar in top five, Rizwan achieves career-best ranking in Test

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam has become the top-ranked Asian batter in Test cricket after notching a match-saving ton against Australia in Karachi.

His 196-run knock, which includes 21 boundaries and a maximum, helped him massive gains in the ICC Test batters rankings. The performance has seen Babar gain three spots, moving up to No.5 in the rankings chart.

His innings inspired Pakistan to survive the two days of play against a quality Australia bowling attack as the match ended as a draw.

The right-hander (799) is now sitting at the fifth spot followed by Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne (781), who slipped to the sixth spot.

The table is led by Marnus Labuschagne, followed by Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson respectively.

Meanwhile, star wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan has also achieved his career-best rankings after fighting 104 against Australia at the National Stadium during the second Test.

He has moved up six spots, to be joint number 11 alongside David Warner. Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja, who scored 160 and 44* in Karachi, moves up eleven spots to number 13.