Pakistan players make gains in latest ICC rankings

Pakistan spinner Noman Ali has climbed up to the joint-second position in the ICC Test bowlers rankings, sharing the spot with Australia’s Mitchell Starc. Behind only Jasprit Bumrah at the top spot, both Noman and Starc have 843 points each.

Noman Ali’s remarkable year

Noman Ali has had a barely believable year, albeit playing only four red-ball games. He, along with fellow spinner Sajid Khan, ran riot against visiting teams in the home Test series against West Indies and South Africa. The 39-year-old spinner grabbed a staggering 30 wickets in both series, at an average of 17.5. 

His wicket tally includes three five-wicket and two ten-wicket hauls, which largely defined the home season for Pakistan. 

Noman reached the second spot after Pat Cummins fell two places, while Starc climbed up one following the Boxing Day Test. Currently, he is the only Pakistani in the top ten bowlers, with the next on the list being Shaheen Shah Afridi at 24th place. 

Saud Shakeel gets rewarded

Besides him, batter Saud Shakeel has gone up a spot in ICC Test batters rankings, occupying the ninth position after Alex Carey suffered a four-spot descent. Saud scored two fifties in five Test games this year, one each against West Indies and South Africa. 

In white-ball formats, only Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf bettered their ODI rankings to get to 19th (jumped two places) and 22nd spots (jumped one place), respectively. 

Pakistan currently occupy the seventh place in the Test and T20I rankings and the 4th place in ODIs. They are entering what appears to be a packed year, with, in addition to the T20 World Cup, the business end of the World Test Championship (WTC) awaiting them. 

The team will play two Tests in West Indies in July-August, followed by a three-game red-ball tour of England in August-September. Finally, Sri Lanka will visit the country for a two-Test series in November. 

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