Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has taken only 10 Tests to reach third place in bowlers’ rankings chart.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has taken only 10 Tests to reach third place in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers after a stupendous 10-wicket match haul in Abu Dhabi helped his side defeat Australia by 373 runs.
The 28-year-old has gained 11 slots to reach the top three and has also crossed 800 rating points, matching compatriot Yasir Shah and South Africa all-rounder Vernon Philander who also reached that threshold in 10 Tests.
Three players who reached the 800-point mark in fewer Tests did so in the 19th century – England’s Tom Richardson (eight) matches in 1896, Australia’s Charlie Turner (nine) in 1892 and John Ferris (nine) in 1892, who turned out for both England and Australia.
Abbas, who started the series in 21st position, is the 10th Pakistan bowler to reach 800 rating points. Apart from Abbas and Yasir, the others to breach the 800-point barrier from Pakistan are Fazal Mahmood (16 Tests), Imran Khan and Wasim Akram (both 37), Waqar Younis (12), Mushtaq Ahmed (25), Shoaib Akhtar (29), Mohammad Asif and Saeed Ajmal (both 19).
Pakistan off-spinner Bilal Asif is another bowler to gain in the latest update, advancing 17 slots to 52nd position, while Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has gained 17 slots among batsmen after his knocks of 94 and 81 in the second Test.
Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has entered the rankings in 68th position after scores of 94 and 66 on debut while Babar Azam (up nine places to a career-best 76th), Australia’s Aaron Finch (up 15 places to 59th), Mitchell Starc (up seven places to 89th) and Travis Head (up five places to 97th) are the others to advance among batsmen.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s 1-0 series win in the two-match series has helped them gain seven points in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings, coming within two points of sixth-placed Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Australia have slipped from third to fifth position.
The Test team rankings, unlike the ODI and T20I rankings, are updated after the end of the series and the Test predictor function is available here.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as of 21 October, after the Abu Dhabi Test):
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1 | India | 116 |
| 2 | South Africa | 106 |
| 3 | England | 105 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 102 |
| 5 | Australia | 102 (- 4) |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 97 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 95 (+7) |
| 8 | West Indies | 76 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 67 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 2 |
| 11 | Afghanistan | 0 |
| 12 | Ireland | 0 |
(Developed by David Kendrix)
MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Ranking (as of 21 October, after the Abu Dhabi Test):
BATSMEN (top 20)
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Points | Avge | Highest Rating |
| 1 | ( – ) | Virat Kohli | Ind | 935 | 54.57 | 937 v Eng at Southampton 2018 |
| 2 | ( – ) | Steve Smith | Aus | 910 | 61.37 | 947 v SA at Durban 2018 |
| 3 | ( – ) | Kane Williamson | NZ | 847 | 50.35 | 893 v Aus at Perth 2015 |
| 4 | ( – ) | Joe Root | Eng | 835 | 51.04 | 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015 |
| 5 | ( – ) | David Warner | Aus | 803 | 48.20 | 880 v NZ at Perth 2015 |
| 6 | ( – ) | C. Pujara | Ind | 765 | 49.54 | 888 v SL at Nagpur 2017 |
| 7 | ( – ) | D. Karunaratne | SL | 754! | 37.28 | 754 v SA at Colombo (SSC) 2018 |
| 8 | ( – ) | D. Chandimal | SL | 733 | 44.96 | 755 v Win at St Lucia 2018 |
| 9 | ( – ) | Dean Elgar | SA | 724 | 41.05 | 784 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018 |
| 10 | (+1) | Aiden Markram | SA | 703* | 47.27 | 759 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018 |
| 11 | (-1) | Usman Khawaja | Aus | 699 | 43.83 | 747 v Pak at Sydney 2017 |
| 12 | ( – ) | Ross Taylor | NZ | 697 | 47.22 | 871 v Win at Hamilton 2013 |
| 13 | ( – ) | Hashim Amla | SA | 673 | 47.23 | 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013 |
| 14 | ( – ) | Faf du Plessis | SA | 665 | 42.33 | 734 v Ind at Centurion 2018 |
| 15 | ( – ) | Azhar Ali | Pak | 648 | 44.19 | 787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016 |
| 16 | ( – ) | Kusal Mendis | SL | 641 | 36.78 | 693 v Win at St Lucia 2018 |
| 17 | ( – ) | Jonny Bairstow | Eng | 637 | 37.19 | 772 v SA at Old Trafford 2017 |
| 18 | ( – ) | Ajinkya Rahane | Ind | 633 | 41.40 | 825 v NZ at Indore 2016 |
| 19= | ( – ) | Shakib Al Hasan | Ban | 632 | 39.69 | 694 v Aus at Mirpur 2017 |
| ( – ) | Kraigg Brathwaite | Win | 632 | 36.54 | 701 v Eng at Headingley 2017 |
BOWLERS (top 20)
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Points | Avge | Highest Rating |
| 1 | ( – ) | James Anderson | Eng | 899 | 26.84 | 903 v Ind at Lord’s 2018 |
| 2 | ( – ) | Kagiso Rabada | SA | 882 | 21.71 | 902 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2018 |
| 3 | (+11) | M. Abbas | Pak | 829*! | 15.64 | 829 v Aus at Abu Dhabi 2018 |
| 4 | (-1) | Vernon Philander | SA | 826 | 21.54 | 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013 |
| 5 | (-1) | Ravindra Jadeja | Ind | 812 | 23.50 | 899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017 |
| 6 | (-1) | Trent Boult | NZ | 795 | 27.84 | 825 v Eng at Lord’s 2015 |
| 7 | ( – ) | Rangana Herath | SL | 791 | 27.95 | 867 v Zim at Harare 2016 |
| 8 | (-2) | Pat Cummins | Aus | 784* | 23.81 | 800 v SA at Johannesburg 2018 |
| 9 | (-1) | R. Ashwin | Ind | 777 | 25.44 | 904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016 |
| 10 | (-1) | Jason Holder | Win | 766*! | 28.50 | 766 v Ind at Hyderabad 2018 |
| 11 | (-1) | Neil Wagner | NZ | 765 | 28.26 | 785 v Win at Wellington 2017 |
| 12 | (-1) | Josh Hazlewood | Aus | 744 | 26.84 | 863 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017 |
| 13= | (-1) | Stuart Broad | Eng | 734 | 28.92 | 880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016 |
| (-1) | Shannon Gabriel | Win | 734 | 30.20 | 757 v Ban at Jamaica 2018 | |
| 15 | ( – ) | Tim Southee | NZ | 720 | 30.82 | 799 v Win at Jamaica 2014 |
| 16 | ( – ) | Nathan Lyon | Aus | 706 | 32.21 | 774 v Eng at Adelaide 2017 |
| 17 | (+1) | Mitchell Starc | Aus | 693 | 28.52 | 805 v SA at Durban 2018 |
| 18 | (-1) | Keshav Maharaj | SA | 692* | 27.65 | 695 v Zim at Port Elizabeth 2017 |
| 19 | ( – ) | Shakib Al Hasan | Ban | 665 | 31.87 | 705 v Aus at Mirpur 2017 |
| 20 | (+1) | Kemar Roach | Win | 654 | 28.31 | 774 v SA at Centurion 2014 |
ALL-ROUNDERS (top five)
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Points | Highest Rating |
| 1 | ( – ) | Shakib Al Hasan | Ban | 420 | 489 v Aus at Mirpur 2017 |
| 2 | ( – ) | Ravindra Jadeja | Ind | 400 | 438 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017 |
| 3 | ( – ) | Jason Holder | Win | 380/* | 381 v Ind at Hyderabad 2018 |
| 4 | ( – ) | Vernon Philander | SA | 370 | 378 v SL at Galle 2018 |
| 5 | ( – ) | R. Ashwin | Ind | 341 | 493 v Eng at Mohali 2016 |
