Babar Azam rises in ICC Test rankings

Lahore: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the updated rankings for Test and T20 players.

Pakistan's batsman Babar Azam has risen in the Test rankings but has slipped in the T20 rankings.

In the Test rankings, England's Joe Root has claimed the top spot, overtaking New Zealand's Kane Williamson, who has fallen to second place. Pakistan's Babar Azam has climbed to third place, while New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell is now in fourth.

Australia's Steve Smith and India's captain Rohit Sharma have each moved up one position, now occupying fifth and sixth places, respectively.

In the Test bowlers' rankings, Ravichandran Ashwin retains the number one position, followed by Josh Hazlewood in second and Jasprit Bumrah in third. Ravindra Jadeja continues to hold the top spot in the Test all-rounders' rankings.

In the T20 rankings, Australia's Travis Head remains the top batsman. Babar Azam has dropped to fifth place. Suryakumar Yadav is now in second place, Phil Salt in third, and Yashasvi Jaiswal in fourth. Mohammad Rizwan has also fallen one position to sixth.

For T20 all-rounders, Australia's Marcus Stoinis has ascended to first place. Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza has improved to second, while Shakib Al Hasan is in third. Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga has dropped two positions to fourth.