CHANCE FOR ENGLAND TO BRIDGE GAP WITH NEW ZEALAND IN SERIES AGAINST PAKISTAN
Home side can move to within one point of fourth-ranked New Zealand in Test rankings, Pakistan could overtake England with 2-0 series win
Root, Anderson top-ranked from either side; chance for Azhar, Abbas and Amir to move up
England would be looking to close in on fourth-placed New Zealand in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings in an upcoming two-Test home series while Pakistan could overtake England if they pull off victories in both matches at Lord’s (24-28 May) and Headingley (1-5 June).
A 2-0 win for England will lift them to 101 points and within one point of New Zealand, with Pakistan losing six points with such a verdict and slipping to 81. A 1-0 series win will see England gain one point and reach 99 while Pakistan will be on 83 points, four points below their present tally of 87 points.
A drawn series will see England lose one point and Pakistan gain one point, while Pakistan will improve substantially if they win the series. A 1-0 series win will lift Pakistan by six points to 93 points and just one point below England while a 2-0 result will see them overtake England to reach 95 points
Series scenarios:
· England win 2-0 – England 101 points, Pakistan 81
· England win 1-0 – England 99, Pakistan 83
· Drawn series – England 97, Pakistan 88
· Pakistan win 1-0 – England 94, Pakistan 93
· Pakistan win 2-0 – Pakistan 95, England 93
In the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings, England captain Joe Root is the leading batsman from either side at third position and would be looking to inch back towards the 900-point mark, which he had held on to until September last year, and close the gap of 45 points with India captain Virat Kohli (912).
Wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow (13th), experienced opener Alastair Cook (16th) and all-rounder Ben Stokes (25th) are their other leading batsmen.
The seaming home conditions will also give fast bowler James Anderson a chance to seize back the top position as only six points separate him from South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, while 12th-ranked Stuart Broad would be looking to move into the top 10.
Pakistan opener Azhar Ali (12th) dropped two places after the recent one-off Test against Ireland and this series provides him the opportunity to regain a place in the top 10 while Asad Shafiq (32nd) would be similarly looking to move up after dropping seven places following the Dublin Test.
Pace bowlers Mohammad Assad (29th) and Mohammad Amir (37th) would be relishing the prospect of playing in English conditions after tuning up well for the series including a good account in the Dublin Test.
Series schedule:
24-28 May – 1st Test, Lord’s, London
1-5 June – 2nd Test, Headingley, Leeds
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as of 22 May, before the England-Pakistan Test series)
Rank Team Points
1 India 125
2 South Africa 112
3 Australia 106
4 New Zealand 102
5 England 98
6 Sri Lanka 94
7 Pakistan 87
8 Bangladesh 75
9 Windies 67
10 Zimbabwe 2
Also played: Ireland – 1 match, 0 points
Yet to play their first Test: Afghanistan.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as of 22 May, before the England-Pakistan series):
Batsmen (top 10)
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 Steve Smith Aus 929 61.37 947 v SA at Durban 2018
2 Virat Kohli Ind 912! 53.40 912 v SA at Johannesburg 2018
3 Joe Root Eng 867 52.63 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
4 Kane Williamson NZ 847 50.35 893 v Aus at Perth 2015
5 David Warner Aus 820 48.20 880 v NZ at Perth 2015
6 AB de Villiers SA 813 50.66 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
7 C. Pujara Ind 810 50.51 888 v SL at Nagpur 2017
8 Dean Elgar SA 784! 42.58 784 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
9 Aiden Markram SA 759*! 55.55 759 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
10 Hashim Amla SA 726 48.03 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
Other selected rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
12 Azhar Ali Pak 718 45.84 787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016
13 Jonny Bairstow Eng 702 39.20 772 v SA at Old Trafford 2017
16 Alastair Cook Eng 679 45.73 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
25= Ben Stokes Eng 617 35.16 664 v Win at Lord's 2017
32 Asad Shafiq Pak 604 39.53 758 v Eng at Lord's 2016
37 Sarfraz Ahmed Pak 584 39.22 715 v SL at Galle 2015
45 Moeen Ali Eng 547 32.40 655 v SA at Old Trafford 2017
81 Faheem Ashraf Pak 392*! 83.00 392 v Ire at Malahide 2018
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 Kagiso Rabada SA 897 21.59 902 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2018
2 James Anderson Eng 891 27.36 896 v Win at Lord's 2017
3 Vernon Philander SA 845 21.46 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
4 Ravindra Jadeja Ind 844 23.73 899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017
5 R. Ashwin Ind 803 25.56 904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016
6= Morne Morkel SA 800! 27.66 800 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
Pat Cummins Aus 800*! 23.81 800 v SA at Johannesburg 2018
8 Trent Boult NZ 795 27.84 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
9 Rangana Herath SL 777 28.18 867 v Zim at Harare 2016
10 Neil Wagner NZ 765 28.26 785 v Win at Wellington 2017
Other selected rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
12 Stuart Broad Eng 732 29.04 880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016
29 M. Abbas Pak 539*! 18.78 539 v Ire at Malahide 2018
30 Ben Stokes Eng 533* 34.13 596 v Win at Lord's 2017
33 Moeen Ali Eng 502 40.68 633 v Win at Edgbaston 2017
34 Chris Woakes Eng 489* 35.53 609 v Pak at The Oval 2016
37 M. Amir Pak 453* 31.95 658 v Eng at Lord's 2010
All-rounders (top five)
Rank Player Team Pts Highest Rating
1 S. Al Hasan Ban 421 489 v Aus at Mirpur 2017
2 R. Jadeja Ind 391 438 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017
3 V. Philander SA 372 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
4 R. Ashwin Ind 368 493 v Eng at Mohali 2016
5 Ben Stokes Eng 329/* 396 v Win at Lord's 2017
. I'll take a 1-1 draw too.
