| Ground: | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi |
| Scorecard: | Pakistan v West Indies |
| Player: | Younis Khan |
| Event: | West Indies in United Arab Emirates 2016/17 |
Pakistan batsman Younus Khan has moved up three places to second position in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen following his sides 133 runs victory over the West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday that has helped it take a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Younus, who had missed the day-night opening Test in Dubai due to an illness, has leapfrogged New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, England batsman Joe Root and South Africas Hashim Amla with innings of 127 and 29 not out.
Younus, who claimed number one ranking in March 2009 following his triple century in Lahore against Sri Lanka, hasnt been ranked as high as second since July 2009. Younus now leads Root by eight points but trails Australias number-one ranked Steve Smith by 46 points.
Younus has been joined inside the top 10 by captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who has gained one place to take 10th position after scoring 96 in his only innings of the match, while Asad Shafiq is the other Pakistan batsman to rise in the rankings (14th, up by two places) following his two half-centuries.
For the West Indies, stylish left-hander Darren Bravo has slipped out of the top 20 but Kraigg Brathwaite has moved up three places to 32nd rank following scores of 21 and 67, while Jermaine Blackwood has gained 11 places to 41st rank following contributions of eight and 95.
Englands engrossing 22-run win over Bangladesh in the opening Test in Chittagong that ended on Monday, has seen wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow move up two slots to a career-best 11th place with scores of 52 and 47. Moeen Ali has also reached a career-high 26th rank as his scores of 68 and 14 have helped him move up two slots.
Englands Ben Stokes won the player of the match award for his performance in the Chittagong Test and this is reflected in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings.
The 25-year-old Stokes, who along with Root and Jos Buttler played in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2010 in New Zealand, has not only gained eight positions to reach 36th in the batting rankings with scores of 18 and 85, but has also moved up four slots to 23rd rank among bowlers after grabbing six wickets in the match.
The Yorkshireman has also reached a career-best fourth rank in the all-rounders list after gaining three places and is now just 11 points behind Ali, who is Englands highest-ranked all-rounder in third place.
For Bangladesh, left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal has moved up two slots to reach 24th position with scores of 78 and nine, while debutant Sabbir Rahman has entered the top 100 in 92nd position with innings of 19 and 64 not out.
In the MRF Tyres Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, which is led by India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shahs match haul of 10 for 210 in Abu Dhabi has seen him return to the top five.
Yasir, who peaked to the top during the series against England, has joined Englands Stuart Broad in fifth place, who has dropped one place after claiming just two Bangladesh wickets in Chittagong.
In the latest rankings, Pakistans Rahat Ali and West Indies Shanon Gabriel have achieved career-high rankings, while Bangladeshs Mehedi Hasan has entered in 61st position after figures of six for 80 and one for 58 on his debut which has come eight months after he helped Bangladesh finish third in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016.
Rahat took four wickets in Abu Dhabi which has help him rise four places to 31st, while Gabriels five for 96 and one for 36 have given him a lift of 10 places and he is now in 38th position.
Other bowlers to head in the right direction include, Bangladeshs Shakib Al Hasan in 15th (up by two places), Englands Ali in 27th (up by four places), Taijul Islam of Bangladesh in 36th (up by six places) and West Indies captain Jason Holder in 59th (up by two places).
The player rankings will now be updated following the Sharjah Test between Pakistan and the West Indies, which is scheduled to conclude on 3 November.
Zimbabwe versus Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe hosts Sri Lanka in a two-Test series starting 29 October in Harare in what could be a chance for the home side to garner some points since the 10th-ranked side trails the sixth-ranked opposition by 87 points and this is weighted to reflect this difference.
Sri Lanka will only gain one point to reach 96 points if it wins the series 2-0 and will remain on 95 points with a 1-0 win. Zimbabwe will lose three points if it loses both matches but will gain two points even if it loses 1-0.
A drawn series will see Sri Lanka drop to 92 points while taking Zimbabwe up to 20 points. Zimbabwe could go up to 30 points if it pulls off a 1-0 win in the series while a 2-0 win will see it reach 35 points.
A loss by any margin for Sri Lanka, which will be without its regular captain and top-ranked batsman Angelo Mathews (joint-15th), will see it slip behind New Zealand to seventh position.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as on 25 October, after the first Bangladesh-England Test and the second Pakistan-West Indies Test)
Rank Team Points
MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 26 October, after the first Bangladesh-England Test and second Pakistan-West Indies Test)
Batsmen (top 20)
Bowlers (top 20)
(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2016 International Cricket Council)