Pakistan face must-win situation in Mirpur

KARACHI: Pakistan’s ongoing tour of Bangladesh has so far been a nightmarish one for the tourists. And there are fears that it could get even worse.
After slipping in the One-day International rankings, the Pakistanis are in clear and present danger of experiencing a slump in their Test ranking as well.
Pakistan, who face Bangladesh in the second and final Test in Mirpur on Wednesday, must win to retain their 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, then Pakistan will join New Zealand on 99 points but will be ranked above the Black Caps by a fraction of a point.
England have already slipped one place to fourth in the ICC Test Team Rankings following their five wickets defeat in the Barbados Test, which has helped the West Indies to level the three-Test series at one-all.
England had entered the three-Test series in third place on 104 points, while the West Indies had begun in eighth spot on 76 points. But following Sunday’s result, Alastair Cook’s men have dropped behind Pakistan into fourth position, while the West Indies, after gaining three points, have reduced with gap with seventh-placed India to 14 points.
Meanwhile, double-centurions from the Khulna Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan have made upward movements in the latest ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, which were released on Monday.
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 shis core 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 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.