In a series of surprising events, Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam's recent impressive outing against West Indies has earned him a big boost in the latest ICC Test batting rankings. The Pakistan skipper recorded two fifties during the two-match test series, helping him climb five positions in the updated rankings released on Wednesday, August 12.
Good news for Babar Azam
Now, Babar has breached the top 10, securing the 10th place with a total of 716 rating points. Babar played an important role in Pakistan's win in the second Test against the West Indies at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain. The right-handed batter recorded an impressive knock of 88 in the first innings before staying unbeaten on 24 during the run chase, helping Pakistan clinch a comfortable eight-wicket win.
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Bad news for Rishabh Pant
With Babar coming back in top 10 has resulted in Rishabh Pant slipping one position in the latest rankings, with the Indian wicketkeeper-batter now standing at the 14th place.
Abdullah Shafique was another Pakistan player to make big progress after the West Indies series. His unbeaten 160 in the first innings of the second Test powered him to 25 places in the rankings. Shafique now sits at No.32 in the world with 607 rating points.
ICC Test Rankings (August 12)
| Rank | Player | Team | Rating |
| 1 | Travis Head | Australia | 853 |
| 2 | Harry Brook | England | 852 |
| 3 | Joe Root | England | 840 |
| 4 | Steve Smith | Australia | 831 |
| 5 | Temba Bavuma | South Africa | 775 |
| 6 | Kamindu Mendis | Sri Lanka | 744 |
| 7 | Shubman Gill | India | 743 |
| 8 | Rachin Ravindra | New Zealand | 740 |
| 9 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | India | 733 |
| 10 | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 716 |