Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah has achieved a major milestone in his career, becoming the first cricketer from his country to enter the top 10 of any category in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.
Rahmat climbed six places to reach seventh in the latest Test batting rankings following his impressive performance against Zimbabwe in Sharjah. The 33-year-old scored 173 in the opening Test of the two-match series, earning the highest rating of his career.
His rise also saw him move ahead of several well-known batters, including India captain Shubman Gill, South Africa’s Aiden Markram and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis.
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The innings was Rahmat’s fifth Test century and his second of the year. His achievement adds to Afghanistan cricket’s growing list of milestones in international cricket.
Earlier this month, Afghanistan reached sixth place in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, their highest position so far. They achieved the feat after a successful run in the tri-series involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Craig Ervine Makes Big Gains In Test Rankings
Zimbabwe batter Craig Ervine also enjoyed a significant rise in the latest rankings update. The experienced left-hander moved up nine places to 48th after scoring an unbeaten double-century in the second innings of the drawn Test against Afghanistan in Sharjah.
There were also changes in the batting rankings following the conclusion of the World Test Championship series between Bangladesh and the West Indies.
West Indies batter Kavem Hodge climbed 12 places to reach 52nd, while Bangladesh’s Towhid Hridoy entered the top 60 at 60th. Another West Indies batter, Amir Jangoo, made an impressive jump of 28 places to move to 62nd.
Jomel Warrican Reaches Career-Best Test Ranking
West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican was among the biggest winners in the bowling rankings after his impressive performance against Bangladesh.
The left-arm spinner, who was named Player of the Series, moved up 11 places to share 19th position in the Test bowling rankings. He also gained four places to reach 31st in the all-rounders’ list.
His teammate Justin Greaves made progress as well, climbing one spot to share eighth place in the Test all-rounders’ rankings.
Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh Rise In ODI Rankings
The latest ICC update also brought good news for several Indian players following the first two matches of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand.
Spinner Axar Patel made a big jump of 23 places to reach 21st among ODI bowlers. His rise came after he picked up two wickets for 28 runs in the second match in Wellington.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also moved up 11 places to share 31st position. He earned the rise after taking four wickets in the series opener in Auckland.
Gurnoor Brar was another major gainer in the latest update. The Indian pacer, currently the leading wicket-taker in the series with seven wickets, climbed from outside the top 100 to 48th in the ODI bowling rankings.
New Zealand Pacers Also Make Progress
New Zealand’s pace bowlers also improved their positions in the latest ODI rankings.
Jacob Duffy moved up eight places to reach 43rd, while Kyle Jamieson made an even bigger jump of 24 spots to climb to 60th.
The latest update reflects the strong performances from both sides in the ongoing India-New Zealand series, with several bowlers making significant progress in the rankings.