Pakistan captain Babar Azam has re-entered the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings top 10 for the first time since September 2024, climbing five places to 10th position following Pakistan's eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in a drawn two-match series.
Babar Azam's return to the upper echelon of Test batting rankings marks a notable recovery for the Pakistan captain, who had maintained a presence in the top 10 continuously for five years before dropping out last year. His performances in the Port of Spain matches, where he scored 88 and 24 not out, were instrumental in propelling him back into contention. The 31-year-old previously achieved his career-best ranking of second position during Pakistan's home series against England in December 2022.
Other Pakistani batsmen also benefited from the series result. Abdullah Shafique, named Player of the Match for his unbeaten centuries of 160 and 24 across the two innings, experienced the most dramatic rise, advancing 25 positions to 32nd. His improved ranking now places him ahead of several established performers including Marnus Labuschagne, K.L. Rahul, and fellow countrymen Salman Agha and Shan Masood.
In the bowling department, Pakistan's Sajid Khan moved up five places to 30th, while Mohammad Ali climbed eight positions to 85th and Ali Usman surged 58 places to 97th. From the West Indies camp, fast bowler Shamar Joseph advanced one position to 19th following his three-wicket haul in the match. Brandon King, despite scoring 46 in the first innings, also progressed to joint-69th despite being unable to bat in the second innings due to injury.
Despite the competitive series, neither team's result substantially aided their ICC World Test Championship standings, with both occupying the bottom two positions in the table. Australia currently leads the championship standings with 87.50 percentage points, followed by South Africa at 75.00 and New Zealand at 72.22.
