• Babar Azam and Travis Head are vying for the top spot in the ICC Test rankings.
• Both players have been in good form in recent matches.
• Azam will look to improve his ranking during the Test series against Sri Lanka.

Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, and Travis Head, an Australian batter, are rapidly improving in different red ball series and are vying for the top spot in the ICC Test batter rankings.

Head has moved up two spots to second place with 874 points. In the most recent rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, he trails New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who is ranked first with 883 points, by only nine points.

Babar, who moved up three spots to finish third on the list with 862 points, isn’t far behind either.

“Australia star Travis Head is the newest challenger to the No.1 Test batter ranking after the in-form left-hander rose to a career-high second place on the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings,” the ICC said in a press release.

“Head jumps two places and up to second behind New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson on the back of his tremendous Ashes series against England that has already netted the 29-year-old a total of 266 runs at an average of 44.33.

“In the most recent Test of that series in Headingley, Head contributed scores of 39 and 77 and was a major reason why the visitors went close to recording a third consecutive Ashes victory.

“Head’s rise up the batter charts has seen yet another re-shuffle at the top of the batting rankings, with Pakistan captain Babar Azam jumping three places to third and fellow Australians Steve Smith (fourth) and Marnus Labuschagne (fifth) and England’s Joe Root (sixth) all dropping one spot in what is an enthralling race for top billing.”

In the last two games of the ongoing Ashes cricket series, Head will try to secure the top spot.

Azam will attempt to do the same during this month’s two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

“Pakistan captain Babar Azam jumping three places to third and fellow Australians Steve Smith (fourth) and Marnus Labuschagne (fifth) and England’s Joe Root (sixth) all dropping one spot in what is an enthralling race for top billing,” the ICC stated.

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