New Delhi: Pakistan have been dropped two places in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, falling to eighth position following a 0-2 series defeat at home to Bangladesh.
This is Pakistan’s lowest rating points in the Test rankings since 1965, excluding a brief period when they were unranked due to insufficient matches.
Pakistan was ranked sixth before a two-match series against Bangladesh, however, back-to-back losses on home soil have seen them slide below the West Indies, now sitting with 76 rating points.
This decline underscores a worrying trend for Pakistan in home Tests, where they have failed to secure a victory in their last ten matches, dating back to February 2021. In that period, Pakistan has lost six matches and drawn the remaining four, with series defeats against Australia, England, and now Bangladesh.
The most recent defeat is a historic one, as it marks Pakistan’s first-ever Test match loss to Bangladesh. After beating the host in the first Test by 10 wickets, Bangladesh, at one point were struggling at 26/6 during the second Test match, mounted an incredible comeback after a crucial partnership between Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, which drastically reduced the deficit and shifted the momentum in their favor.
Then, Bangladesh’s successful chase of 185 runs in the second Test marked as the third-highest successful run-chase by a visiting team on Pakistani soil. The victory not only handed Bangladesh their first Test series win against Pakistan but also saw them gain 13 rating points in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings. Despite this, Bangladesh remains in ninth position, just below Pakistan.
Australia remain on the top of the Test rankings followed by India and England in second and third.
The series win also has immediate implications for Bangladesh in the World Test Championship Standings, where they have climbed to fourth place with three wins in six Tests this cycle.
IANS