Pakistan fell to ninth in the ICC men’s Test rankings following the England whitewash, an all-time low after leading the roost a decade ago in 2016.
Pakistan rose to the top of the men’s Test team rankings for the first time in August 2016. Then led by Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan became third on the charts after drawing 2-2 in England, and second after Sri Lanka whitewashed Australia 3-0 at home. They dethroned India from the top on August 22, 2016, after rain washed out the West Indies vs India Trinidad Test. However, just over 10 years later, they have fell to a historic low, dropping to ninth after a chaotic England series, where they went down 3-0.
Starting the series at seventh in the rankings with 75 rating points, Pakistan lost by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and by 194 runs at Lord’s, prompting wholesale changes from the PCB, including sacking the head and bowling coaches.
Their fortunes didn’t change for good at Edgbaston as well and they lost by eight wickets to slip another spot in the men’s Test team rankings and fall to an all-time low of ninth. They lost four rating points during the course of the series and now have 71. England, meanwhile, stayed at fifth place.
Also read: Pink Salt and the plight of Pakistan’s potential
Updated ICC Men's Test team rankings after England whitewash Pakistan 3-0
Pakistan's rise to the top of the Test rankings in 2016 had come on the back of three back-to-back series wins and a 2-2 draw in England. On the other hand, the current side has won just one Test series since beating Sri Lanka 2-0 away in July 2023 – a 2-1 takedown of England in 2024 as Pakistan dished out rank turners after losing the first Test by an innings and 47 runs on a flat wicket.
| Rank | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
1 | Australia | 27 | 3411 | 126 |
2 | South Africa | 19 | 2256 | 119 |
3 | New Zealand | 22 | 2336 | 106 |
4 | India | 29 | 3042 | 105 |
5 | England | 36 | 3658 | 102 |
6 | Bangladesh | 24 | 1878 | 78 |
7 | Sri Lanka | 19 | 1434 | 75 |
8 | West Indies | 27 | 2008 | 74 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 23 | 1623 | 71 |
10 | Zimbabwe | 13 | 217 | 17 |
If the series whitewash, wholesale sackings and a new low in the Test rankings wasn’t enough, Babar Azam’s side were also docked 11 WTC points for their slow over-rate in the Edgbaston Test. They sit at the bottom of the points table with just five points now in nine matches of the ongoing cycle.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
