Pakistan captain Babar Azam is one step closer in his mission of becoming the No.1 batter in each of the three arrangements of the game after he crawled nearer to the top Test positioning on the most recent ICC Men’s Player Rankings. While the Pakistan captain as of now holds top billing  in both white-ball formats, the 27-year-old is yet to reach the peak at Test level and still trails England’s Joe Root following the most recent rankings update released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday (July 27).

Root stays clear at the top of the Test list, but Babar rises one spot to third overall and to a career high rating of 874 focuses on the rear of his gigantic century in the first Test of Pakistan’s continuous series against Sri Lanka in Galle. Babar scored very nearly 55% of Pakistan’s first-innings runs during that Test, with the right-hander contributing 119 rushes to a team score of 218 that at last assisted the side stay in contact with Sri Lanka’s most memorable innings complete of 222.

Babar as of late said it was a fantasy of his to become the No.1 positioned batter in each of the three formats of the game and this rankings rise sees him draw that smidgen nearer to accomplishing that truly challenging objective. The in-form captain wasn’t the only Pakistan player to take an eye-getting action on the most recent rankings, with star pacer Shaheen Afridi likewise hopping up a spot on the rundown for Test bowlers.

Afridi got four wickets during the main innings of that Test against Sri Lanka and that shot him before India speedy Jasprit Bumrah and into third on the bowler rankings.

Pakistan star player's domination in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's Player Rankings continues 🌟

Full details 👇

— ICC (@ICC) July 27, 2022

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli slip in ODI positioning

There was no development inside the main 10 on the most recent T20I rankings following the culmination of New Zealand’s series in Ireland, yet there were a few changes on the refreshed ODI records. The ODI series among England and South Africa completed squared at 1-1 and it was in-structure Proteas star Quinton de Kock that benefited most as he hopped two puts on the most recent batter rankings.

De Kock hit an unbeaten 92 during the last match of the series in Leeds and that saw the 29-year-old left-hander rise two spots to fourth in general. Babar actually holds the commanding lead at the head of proceedings, while India pair Virat Kohli (fifth) and Rohit Sharma (6th) each drop a spot courtesy of de Kock’s observable move.

West Indies player Shai Hope rises three spots to twelfth in the ODI batter rankings, while substitute India commander Shikhar Dhawan bounces one spot to approach thirteenth after a noteworthy 97 in the initial match of their continuous series in the Caribbean.

ALSO READ: Lord’s to host WTC Finals in 2023, 2025

Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique was named Player of the Match for his game dominating 100 in the second innings of that Galle Test and that saw him bounce 23 spots to sixteenth generally on the batter rankings with 671 rating focuses. Just two batters have had more focuses after six Tests – Sunil Gavaskar (692) and Donald Bradman (687). Shafique’s 671 focuses are the most for a Pakistan batter after six Tests, the past being Saeed Ahmed with 614 places.

Sri Lanka right-hander Dinesh Chandimal rises 11 spots to eighteenth following scores of 76 and 94 not out. Prabath Jayasuriya has climbed 11 spots to the 44th situation with 481 places, the fourth-most noteworthy by any bowler after two Tests, after Narendra Hirwani (519), Alec Bedser (500) and Bob Massie (494).