Azhar ranked 7th in ICC Rankings

ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (APP): Azhar Ali is the only Pakistani
player in the top 10 of the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings
announced Thursday.
Azhar stands on 7th position with 769 points with an average
of 46.86. Meanwhile, Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope have attained
career-best positions in the Rankings after performances in Leeds
that helped the Windies complete a series-levelling win against
England, said a press release issued here.
Opener Brathwaite has risen 14 slots to 16th position after
his innings of 134 and 95 in the second Test of the three-match
series while Hope’s knocks of 147 and 118 not out, the first pair of
centuries in any first-class game at Headingley, have helped him
secure a massive gain of 60 places to reach 42nd position.
Windies captain Jason Holder has gained in both batting (up
four places to 57th) and bowling (up two places to 37th) rankings
while pace bowler Shannon Gabriel has gained two slots to reach 18th
position after taking six wickets in the match.
For England, Ben Stokes’s first-innings century has seen him
move up two positions to 23rd place among batsmen while Chris Woakes
has gained 10 slots to reach 74th position.
Australia opener David Warner has returned to the top 10 after
a valiant century. Warner’s partnership of 130 for the third wicket
with captain Steve Smith could not prevent Bangladesh from scoring
its first ever Test win over Australia, but the left-hander had the
satisfaction of moving up five slots to sixth position after scores
of eight and 112.
For Bangladesh, opener Tamim Iqbal’s two innings of 71 and 78
have lifted him six places to a career-best 14th position, while
star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has moved up three slots to a
career-best 14th position among bowlers after his match haul of 10
for 153 at Mirpur.
His fellow spinners Mehedi Hasan (up three places to 30th) and
Taijul Islam (up four places to 32nd) have also moved up after
finishing the match with five and four wickets, respectively.
Shakib has also consolidated his position at the top of the
list of all-rounders with his highest aggregate of 489 points,
having also scored 84 and five runs in his two innings.