The Pakistan cricket team’s captain, Babar Azam, and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi are among the top ten players in the current International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Test player rankings for the week.
According to the rankings, Babar has kept his seventh place as a batsman, while Shaheen Afridi has retained his eighth position as a bowler.
English skipper Joe Root has risen to the top of the batting rankings, displacing Australia’s Kane Williamson, who has dropped to second place. Williamson is followed by teammates Steve Smith and Marnos Labushin in third and fourth place, respectively.
Indian batsman Rohit Sharma surpassed Virat Kohli, who was rated fifth and sixth, correspondingly.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Muhammad Rizwan was rated 19th, and Fawad Alam was placed 21st.
Pakistan’s Hassan Ali and Mohammad Abbas were ranked 16th and 17th, correspondingly, amongst bowlers.
The cricket squad for the New Zealand series has been announced.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also released the team for the three forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup Super League One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against New Zealand.
According to the PCB statement, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, as well as Haris Sohail, Salman Ali Agha, and Sohaib Maqsood have been dropped from the squad.
Meanwhile, the 20-man team includes untested wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris, quick bowlers Mohammad Wasim and Shahnawaz Dahani, wrist spinner Zahid Mahmood, and middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah.
Iftikhar’s seventh and last ODI came against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi, while Khushdil’s lone ODI appearance was also against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi.
In terms of squad selection, Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim stated that he was aware that a few players would be “disappointed” if they were not chosen. However, there will be “ample opportunity down the road for everyone to put up great performances and push their case for national selection” throughout the upcoming cricket season.
Pakistan will play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) versus New Zealand at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on September 17, 19, and 21. Moreover, the Gaddafi Stadium will stage five Twenty20 Internationals from September 25 to October 3.
