Following the recent series whitewash against Bangladesh, Pakistan has stooped to the lowest rankings in Test Cricket since 1965. Pakistan has slipped to the eighth spot from the sixth spot following the recent embarrassing defeat.
“Pakistan dropped two places — from sixth to eighth — in the Test rankings after suffering a shock series loss at home to Bangladesh,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) said.
The ICC said it was “their lowest ranking since 1965” in the 12-team table, which is topped by Australia followed by India and England. Bangladesh is ninth in the latest rankings.
Muhammad Rizwan is the only batter in the list of top 10 batters in Test Cricket. Babar Azam has now slipped to 12th spot in the list. No Pakistani batter is in the top 10 position. Shaheen Shah Afridi now stands at 11th position.
Pakistan cricket was reeling Wednesday after its first-ever Test defeat against Bangladesh, the latest in a string of poor performances that have seen the game hit rock bottom.
The cricket-mad nation was left in despair after losing the second Test in Rawalpindi by six wickets on Tuesday as Bangladesh swept the series 2-0.
The entire squad failed to make the mark in the recently concluded series. Fans expected Babar Azam to play a significant and impactful innings to stabilize the dwindling batting lineup as well as help Pakistan cruise to victory in the home Test series. However, he could not even score a half-century in any of the innings of the two Test matches.
His dismal performance has left fans disappointed and furious. Some believe he is going through a rough patch and he will bounce back soon. Others believe that he has lost track of his game.