Azhar Ali moves up to joint-eighth (with Hashim Amla) in ICC Test batting rankings

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Pakistan opener Azhar Ali has moved up to joint-eighth position in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen after the second Test in Bridgetown which the West Indies won by 106 runs on Thursday to level the three-match series at 1-1.

Azhar’s scores of 105 and 10 have helped him move up two places to be on par with South Africa batsman Hashim Amla in a list led by Australia captain Steve Smith. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq has retained 20th position after innings of 99 and zero in what was his penultimate Test match while opener Ahmed Shehzad has moved up four positions to joint-62nd rank after scores of 70 and 14.

For the West Indies, Roston Chase’s knocks of 131 and 23 have lifted him 21 places to a career-best 49th position while Shai Hope has moved into the top-100 after gaining 19 positions to reach 101st rank with scores of 131 and 23 in Bridgetown.

In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s nine-wicket match haul, which included an impressive seven for 94 in the second innings, has lifted him two positions to 13th rank. Pace bowler Mohammad Abbas is another Pakistan player to move up as he has gained 42 positions to reach 61st position after playing in only two Tests.

For the West Indies, new-ball bowler Shannon Gabriel and captain Jason Holder have attained career-best rankings. Gabriel’s nine-wicket match haul, which included a crucial five for 11 that helped dismiss Pakistan for only 81 in the second innings, enabled him to move into the top-20 as he gained 14 slots to reach 19th position.

Holder’s three wickets in each innings saw him gain 12 positions and reach 40th rank. He has also moved up five positions to 11th rank in the list of all-rounders led by Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan.

MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 5 May, after the second Test between the West Indies and Pakistan)

Batsmen (top 10)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 ( - ) Steve Smith Aus 941! 61.05 941 v Ind at Dharamsala 2017
2 ( - ) K. Williamson NZ 880 51.16 893 v Aus at Perth 2015
3 ( - ) Joe Root Eng 848 52.80 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
4 ( - ) C. Pujara Ind 846 51.32 861 v Aus at Ranchi 2017
5 ( - ) Virat Kohli Ind 818 49.41 895 v Ban at Hyderabad 2017
6 ( - ) Q. de Kock SA 802*! 51.26 802 v NZ at Hamilton 2017
7 ( - ) David Warner Aus 759 47.42 880 v NZ at Perth 2015
8= (+1) Hashim Amla SA 748 49.39 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
(+2) Azhar Ali Pak 748 46.51 787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016
10 (+1) Lokesh Rahul Ind 739*! 44.44 739 v Aus at Dharamsala 2017

Other selected rankings

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
14 (-6) Younus Khan Pak 720 52.32 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
20 ( - ) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 683 46.91 842 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014
49 (+21) Roston Chase WI 503*! 39.85 503 v Pak at Barbados 2017
62 (+4) A. Shehzad Pak 454* 40.91 555 v SL at Colombo (PSS) 2015
101 (+19) Shai Hope WI 318*! 19.17 318 v Pak at Barbados 2017


Bowlers (top 10)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 ( - ) R. Jadeja Ind 898 23.12 899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017
2 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 865 25.22 904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016
3 ( - ) R. Herath SL 854 27.87 867 v Zim at Harare 2016
4 ( - ) J. Hazlewood Aus 826 25.39 863 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017
5 ( - ) J. Anderson Eng 810 28.50 884 v SL at Durham 2016
6 ( - ) S. Broad Eng 803 28.54 880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016
7 ( - ) K. Rabada SA 798* 23.69 821 v SL at Johannesburg 2017
8 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 794 22.30 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
9 ( - ) Neil Wagner NZ 745 28.90 767 v SA at Dunedin 2017
10 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 742 28.35 805 v Pak at Brisbane 2016


Other selected rankings

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
13 (+2) Yasir Shah Pak 700 30.06 878 v Eng at Lord's 2016
19 (+14) S. Gabriel WI 600*! 33.20 600 v Pak at Barbados 2017
40 (+12) Jason Holder WI 425*! 36.92 425 v Pak at Barbados 2017
61 (+42) M. Abbas Pak 268*! 23.44 268 v WI at Barbados 2017

All-rounders (top five)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Highest Rating
1 ( - ) S. Al Hasan Ban 431 443 v NZ at Christchurch 2017
2 ( - ) R. Jadeja Ind 422! 422 v Aus at Dharamsala 2017
3 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 413 493 v Eng at Mohali 2016
4 ( - ) Ben Stokes Eng 327 /* 351 v Ind at Mohali 2016
5 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 318 347 v Ind at Pune 2017

*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
!indicates career-highest rating

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Azhar Ali should try to get in Top 5.

 

[Abdullah719]

Quite a drop for Younis there.

Abbas has made some good gains in the rankings too.

 

[Buffet]

Quite a drop for Younis there.

I think low scores against low ranked teams can result in a huge drop. YK can again make a big score in the last match, which he usually does, so he can again be in the top 10. It's regular YK. One big score and then missing in other matches. That big score can be crucial, but YK does not score consistently and as result you will rarely find him among the top 5 rank for an extended period. That's why his average didn't go near 58-60 at any time in his career.

 

[Hawkeye]

Best Test opener in the world at the moment.

 

[Abdullah719]

I think low scores against low ranked teams can result in a huge drop. YK can again make a big score in the last match, which he usually does, so he can again be in the top 10. It's regular YK. One big score and then missing in other matches. That big score can be crucial, but YK does not score consistently and as result you will rarely find him among the top 5 rank for an extended period. That's why his average didn't go near 58-60 at any time in his career.

Agreed, which is another reason as to why some may not rate him amongst the very best. I rarely recall him dominating series by scoring multiple hundreds.

Just checked the stats - indeed, in the last ~10 years, he's scored more than one century in a series only once (that one occasion being the 2014 series against Australia where he made 3 hundreds).

 

[sshakir411]

Really gritty player who keeps getting better with time. i think the test opening spot is his for as long as he plays international cricket.

 

[Syed1]

Good for Azhar, well deserved. He really needs to do something about his fourth innings stats though.

 

[Mamoon]

Well done to Azhar but since his transformation circa 2014-2015, he is yet to play a match-defining knock. Most of his big knocks have ended up in defeats. Also, interesting to see that the number one spinner in the world is still languishing outside the top 10.

 

[sharon javed]

Well done to Azhar but since his transformation circa 2014-2015, he is yet to play a match-defining knock. Most of his big knocks have ended up in defeats. Also, interesting to see that the number one spinner in the world is still languishing outside the top 10.

So what???? Cricket is a game played by 11 players, A century should be considered as good effort weather lose or win

 

[sharon javed]

Well done to Azhar but since his transformation circa 2014-2015, he is yet to play a match-defining knock. Most of his big knocks have ended up in defeats. Also, interesting to see that the number one spinner in the world is still languishing outside the top 10.

He is also one of better test opener in the world

 

[Hamza_]

Well done to Azhar but since his transformation circa 2014-2015, he is yet to play a match-defining knock. Most of his big knocks have ended up in defeats. Also, interesting to see that the number one spinner in the world is still languishing outside the top 10.

I think his 300* was crucial. Also he can't help much because our bowling is toothless, And you won't win test matches until your bowlers are good enough to take out the opposition batters.

 

[Abdullah719]

Well done to Azhar but since his transformation circa 2014-2015, he is yet to play a match-defining knock. Most of his big knocks have ended up in defeats. Also, interesting to see that the number one spinner in the world is still languishing outside the top 10.

Give him some time.

After 25 Tests:

ICC Test Rating for Yasir: 700 points
ICC Test Rating for Ashwin: 686 points

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

Well deserved. He is a good batsman.

 

[Muhammad10]

I think his 300* was crucial. Also he can't help much because our bowling is toothless, And you won't win test matches until your bowlers are good enough to take out the opposition batters.

Are the bowlers to blame for us being 36-7? The bowling performance was far from ideal, but such abject surrender with the bat is inexcusable.

 

[sharon javed]

I think his 300* was crucial. Also he can't help much because our bowling is toothless, And you won't win test matches until your bowlers are good enough to take out the opposition batters.

His 200 in melbourne and 2012 knock against england on breaking wicket are also great innings

 

[Muhammad10]

On Azhar, he's quite easily our best Test batsman at the moment.

 

[GreenShirts]

Well deserved.The best test opener in Asia

 

[GreenShirts]

Well deserved.The best test opener in Asia

by which I mean for any Asian team.

 

[Hamza_]

Are the bowlers to blame for us being 36-7? The bowling performance was far from ideal, but such abject surrender with the bat is inexcusable.

Did you see our bowling in Australia?

I'm not talking about a particular test, Please see again.

 

[Muhammad10]

Did you see our bowling in Australia?

I'm not talking about a particular test, Please see again.

We still require drastic improvement in all three departments. Bowling cannot be singled out as Yasir has been our main matchwinner for quite a while, and the four-bowler strategy is inefficient, particularly when we're carrying a passenger in the form of Riaz.

 

[Mamoon]

Give him some time.

After 25 Tests:

ICC Test Rating for Yasir: 700 points
ICC Test Rating for Ashwin: 686 points

Given Yasir's age and fitness, it seems like he is at his peak already, things will probably go down from here. Ashwin though was on an upward curve after 20 odd Tests. His development has been quicker.

 

[Mamoon]

So what???? Cricket is a game played by 11 players, A century should be considered as good effort weather lose or win

I think his 300* was crucial. Also he can't help much because our bowling is toothless, And you won't win test matches until your bowlers are good enough to take out the opposition batters.

That is true, but the tempo at which Azhar bats makes his innings less impactful. Generally speaking, Azhar scoring big means there isn't enough time to take 20 opposition wickets, especially when you consider how poor we are as a bowling unit. Well done to Azhar again, but at this rate, I am not sure if he is going to win many matches for the team.

 

[Hamza_]

That is true, but the tempo at which Azhar bats makes his innings less impactful. Generally speaking, Azhar scoring big means there isn't enough time to take 20 opposition wickets, especially when you consider how poor we are as a bowling unit. Well done to Azhar again, but at this rate, I am not sure if he is going to win many matches for the team.

But then again, Shehzad is even slower, Sami can bat fluently but usually he goes into shell. Azhar has limited stroke play and he makes full use of bad balls presented to him. So maybe it's better to have some other players around him with better stroke play.

Sharjeel played his first test, scored rapidly and then we know what happened after that.

On the bench we have Shan Masood...........