Dubai: Pakistan starts its campaign in the two-Test series against number-one ranked South Africa, from Monday 14 October in Abu Dhabi, with an opportunity to reclaim its number-four position on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table.
Pakistan is currently ranked sixth with 97 ratings points, just two ratings points behind fifth-ranked West Indies on 99 and four behind fourth-ranked Australia on 101. Now, Pakistan has an opportunity to regain the fourth place if it wins by one Test or better, thereby pushing Australia into fifth place and West Indies into sixth rank.
In case of a 1-0 series win, Misbah-ul-Haq’s side will gain nine ratings points to end at 106. Pakistan can gain up to 11 ratings points if it wins both the Tests and jump to fourth place with 108, thereby gaining seven ratings points lead over Australia and nine ratings lead over West Indies.
South Africa heads the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table with 135 ratings points and leads Pakistan by 38 ratings points. This gap means Graeme Smith’s side is favourite to win the two-Test series. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, if South Africa win both the Tests, then it will gain just one rating point but will lose as many as four ratings points if the series ends in a draw, eight points in case of a 0-1 defeat and 10 points if Pakistan wins both the Tests
The Test Rankings table, unlike the ODI Rankings table, is updated only after the conclusion of the series. To find out exactly how forthcoming Test series will affect the Rankings table, please click here.
Meanwhile, South Africa will enter the series with its players sitting on top of all the three categories of Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Tests.
The Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen is headed by Hashim Amla, the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers is headed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn, with teammate Vernon Philander in second place while Jacques Kallis tops the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders.
For South Africa, the other batsmen inside the top 20 of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen include Kallis in eighth and Graeme Smith in 15th. For Pakistan Younus Khan in sixth is the highest ranked batsman, while captain Misbah-ul-Haq in 12th and Azhar Ali in 16th are the others inside the top 20.
Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal in fourth position is the highest-ranked bowler from his side on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers while left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman in 11th and South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel in 12th are the others eyeing an improvement in their placings.
Upcoming Fixtures (Pakistan v South Africa)
14-18 October: 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
23-27 October: 2nd Test, Dubai
Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table (as on 12 October)
Rank Team Rating
1 South Africa 135
2 England 116
3 India 116
4 Australia 101
5 West Indies 99
6 Pakistan 97
7 Sri Lanka 88
8 New Zealand 79
9 Zimbabwe 34
10 Bangladesh 10
