Babar Azam loses fifth spot in latest Test rankings

Pakistan limited-overs captain Babar Azam dropped one place to sixth position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test batsmen rankings which were announced on Tuesday.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has made significant strides in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after the second Test against West Indies in Manchester.

The star player has dethroned West Indies Captain Jason Holder to become the top all-rounder in the latest ranking, while also attaining a career-best third position among batsmen in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, after a match-winning performance at Old Trafford.

Stokes, who trailed Holder by 54 rating points going into the second Test in Manchester, enjoys a lead of 38 points after his memorable knocks of 176 and 78 and a match haul of three wickets helped England win by 113 runs and level the three-match series 1-1.

Stokes ended Holder’s 18-month reign at the top, becoming the first from England at the summit since Andrew Flintoff in May 2006. His tall of 497 rating points is the highest by any Test all-rounder since Jacques Kallis aggregated 517 in April 2008.

Among batsmen, Stokes is joint-third with Marnus Labuschagne, only behind Steve Smith and Virat Kohli and with specialist batsmen like Kane Williamson and Babar Azam below him in the list. His captain Joe Root is ninth while opener Dom Sibley has advanced 29 places to a career-best 35th position after a sturdy first innings 120.