Pakistan jump to 5th in Test rankings

DUBAI (Agencies) - Pakistan has gained a place on the Reliance ICC Test Championship table and is now in fifth position following its 2-0 victory over Bangladesh in the two-Test series which finished in Mirpur on Wednesday.
The series victory earned Pakistan one ratings point which has put it at par with Sri Lanka on 99 ratings points. However, Pakistan has been placed above Sri Lanka after the ratings were calculated beyond the decimal point.
This is Pakistan's best rankings since March 2009 when it had claimed fifth position for a couple of months. Pakistan now trails fourth-ranked Australia by four ratings points. Australia goes head to head with India in a four-Test series in Melbourne on Monday next. The only way Australia can drop behind Pakistan is if it loses all the four Tests of the series.
Pakistan players have also made the best of the Mirpur Test with one-down batsman Azhar Ali and left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman achieving career-best rankings. Azhar Ali, who scored 57 and 34, has moved up four places to 23rd position while Abdur Rehman, who took four for 51 in the second innings, has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career and is now in 19th position.
Other Pakistan players improving their rankings include opener Taufeeq Umar (up by seven to 42nd) and fast bowlers Umar Gul (up by one to 18th) and Aizaz Cheema (up by five to 45th).
Pakistan's next Test assignment is against number-one ranked England. The three-Test series will start at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on 17 January. England leads Pakistan by 26 ratings points and as the rankings system is weighted to reflect this difference, England's failure to win the series comfortably will mean it will drop points.
ICC Test Championship

Team    Matches    Points    Rating
England    37    4634    125
India    41    4846    118
South Africa    24    2781    116
Australia    37    3815    103
Pakistan    31    3081    99
Sri Lanka    31    3062    99
West Indies    30    2654    88
New Zealand    23    1903    83
Bangladesh    18    76    4

Top 10 Test Batsmen

Rank    Name    Country    Rating
1    KC Sangakkara    SL    844
2    JH Kallis    SA    839
3    AN Cook    ENG    823
4    IR Bell    ENG    822
5    Younus Khan    PAK    789
6    SR Tendulkar    IND    785
7    AB de Villiers    SA    778
8    IJL Trott    ENG    776
9    R Dravid    IND    773
10    HM Amla    SA    772

Top 10 Test Bowlers

Rank    Name    Country    Rating
1    DW Steyn    SA    902
2    JM Anderson    ENG    811
3    GP Swann    ENG    755
4    SCJ Broad    ENG    744
5    M Morkel    SA    734
6    Zaheer Khan    IND    692
7    Shakib Al Hasan    BAN    678
8    DL Vettori    NZ    654
9    Saeed Ajmal    PAK    645
10    TT Bresnan    ENG    623