Babar makes gains in Test rankings

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who is the only player to feature in top three ICC player rankings across formats by the virtue of being number one in ODIs and T20Is and number three in Tests, has made further strides in the newly-updated ICC Test player rankings.

The 27-year-old has closed his gap in Test rankings with second-ranked Australian batter Marnus Labuschange by improving his rating points by five and jumping to 879. Labuschagne sits a rung above the Pakistan captain with 885 points, while England’s Joe Root continues to lead the table.

The Pakistan captain was the joint-highest run-scorer with Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal in the recently drawn two-Test series in Galle. The two scored 271 runs. In the current ICC World Test Championship cycle, Babar has the third most runs with 953 at an average of 63.53. He has struck two centuries and seven half-centuries.