KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket team on Wednesday slipped to the lowest of lows in their rich history of Test cricket after an unexpected 2-0 series whitewash at home by Bangladesh.
The six-wicket defeat in the second Test in Rawalpindi on Tuesday resulted in Pakistan dropping from sixth to eighth place in the ICC Test team rankings, with a rating of 76— their lowest since 1965.
Bangladesh’s victory in Rawalpindi marked their first-ever series win against Pakistan, pushing the hosts below the West Indies into eighth place. This is the lowest rating Pakistan has recorded since 1965, except for a brief period when they were unranked due to insufficient matches.
The ICC Test rankings are currently topped by Australia, followed by India and England. Bangladesh has moved up to ninth place in the rankings.
In addition to the team’s poor ranking, Pakistan has lost its presence in the top 10 for bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi has dropped from ninth to 11th place.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan remains the only Pakistani player in the top 10 batting rankings, while Babar Azam has fallen to 12th place after scoring just 64 runs in the two Tests against Bangladesh.
