• Babar Azam scored  2-half-centuries in final Test against England.
• Travis Head has gained three slots to reach a career-best fourth position.
• England’s Harry Brook is in the top 50 for the first time.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam also achieved a career-best second place. Indian spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel both saw advances in their respective rankings in the bowlers category as the most recent ICC Mens Test Rankings for batters were revealed on Wednesday.

In the final Test of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against England in Karachi, which Pakistan lost to give up the series 3-0 at home, Babar notched two half-centuries (78 and 54). Steve Smith, who recorded 36 and six in a low-scoring match between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane, was overtaken by him as a result of his hits.

Marnus Labuschagne is ahead of Pakistan’s captain in the Test rankings by 61 points, despite being ranked first in ODIs and fourth in T20Is.

🥈 Career-best ranking in Tests for Babar Azam
💪 Travis Head now the third Australia player in the top-five

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As he moves up three positions to a career-best fourth position and exceeds the 800-rating point threshold for the first time in his career, Australia batter Travis Head, whose first innings score of 92 was the highest in the Brisbane Test, has improved three spots. The fifth spot in January of this year was his previous best finish.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s scores of 90 and 102 not out in the most recent weekly update, which also takes into account the first Test of the WTC series between Bangladesh and India in Chattogram, have helped him move up 10 positions to 16th place. Shreyas Iyer has moved up 11 spots to 26th and Shubman Gill has moved up 10 spots to 54th after some strong showings in the match.

Among the other hitters to climb up the list are Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, who rose four spots to 37th, South Africa’s Temba Bavuma, who rose eight spots to 24th, and England’s skipper Ben Stokes, who rose three spots to 23rd. After hitting hundreds in each of the three Tests he played in Pakistan, Harry Brook of England is now ranked among the top 50 players.

Kagiso Rabada of South Africa, who took four wickets in each of the two innings at the Gabba, has moved up four spots in the bowlers’ rankings to take third place. Previously ranked first, bowler Rabada was third in August of this year before falling further down the list.

Since helping India win the Chattogram Test, spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have advanced quickly. With eight for 113 as Player of the Match, Yadav has moved up 19 spots to rank 49th, while Patel has climbed 10 spots to a career-high ranking of 18th thanks to his five match-winning kills.

Mohammad Siraj, Jack Leach, Mark Wood, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Scott Boland, and Marcon Jansen are some of the other bowlers who have advanced on the list.

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