Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali has achieved a remarkable career milestone, climbing to second place in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings following his match-winning performance in the first Test against South Africa in Lahore.
Noman, who played a crucial role in Pakistan’s 93-run victory, took six wickets for 112 runs in the first innings and four for 79 in the second, leading his team to a 1-0 advantage in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series.
With this outstanding performance, the spinner has moved up four spots, now sitting just 29 rating points behind India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who retains the top position. Noman currently holds 853 rating points, becoming the seventh Pakistani bowler to surpass the 850-mark — and the first since Yasir Shah in 2016. His previous career-best was fifth position, achieved earlier this year against the West Indies.
Other Pakistani players have also seen an upward trajectory in the latest ICC rankings update. Shaheen Shah Afridi climbed three spots to 19th place after taking 4 for 33 in the second innings, while batters Mohammad Rizwan (16th), Babar Azam (22nd), Salman Agha (30th), and Imam-ul-Haq (44th) also made gains.
For South Africa, Ryan Rickelton’s 71-run knock has pushed him into the top 50 for the first time, and Tony de Zorzi’s century secured him the 54th position. Spinner Senuran Muthusamy, with a match haul of 11 for 174, advanced significantly from 93rd to 55th place.
In the ODI rankings, Bangladesh’s Towhid Hridoy moved up seven places to 35th, while Josh Hazlewood re-entered the top 10 among bowlers after a strong performance against India. Meanwhile, Mohammad Siraj climbed back to 16th place and K.L. Rahul rose to 14th in batting.
In T20Is, England’s Phil Salt retained second position after scoring 85, and Harry Brook moved up to joint-20th with 598 points. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, with four wickets in Christchurch, jumped to third place among T20I bowlers.
Noman Ali’s rapid rise highlights Pakistan’s continued strength in producing world-class spin talent, reaffirming his role as a vital asset in the team’s Test lineup.
