Afghanistan’s Test and ODI skipper, Rahmat Shah, has made history as the first Afghan player to enter the ICC top-10 rankings in any category of men’s Test cricket. His impressive performance in the Test against Zimbabwe in Sharjah, where he scored 173 runs, propelled him six places up to seventh among Test batsmen.
“It feels great to represent Afghanistan at this level,” Rahmat commented, reflecting on his achievement. His career-best innings contributed to a drawn match and boosted his personal rating to an all-time high.
Securing his fifth Test century and the second this year, Rahmat climbed past notable players, such as India’s captain Shubman Gill and South Africa’s Aiden Markram, to make his top-10 entry. Afghanistan, earlier this month, reached sixth position in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings after successfully beating both Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in a tri-series.
Craig Ervine from Zimbabwe also saw a significant rise, advancing nine places to 48th among Test batsmen after scoring an unbeaten 206 in the second innings in Sharjah.
Elsewhere, the West Indies and Bangladesh Test series saw several players making strides in the rankings. Jomel Warrican, with 16 wickets in the series and a Player-of-the-Series accolade, moved up 11 places to joint 19th among Test bowlers. His colleague, Justin Greaves, also progressed, breaking into the top ten for Test all-rounders.
Bangladesh’s Towhid Hridoy made a commendable leap to 60th in the batting rankings, while West Indies’ wicketkeeper Amir Jangoo progressed 28 places to 62nd after notable performances.
In the ODI rankings, updates following the India-New Zealand series in Wellington have India’s Axar Patel advancing 23 places to 21st among bowlers, while Arshdeep Singh’s four-wicket haul saw him climb to joint 31st. Gurnoor Brar, having claimed seven wickets, leapt to 48th from outside the top 100.
New Zealand bowlers Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson also saw improvements, with Duffy reaching joint 43rd and Jamieson advancing to 60th in the rankings.
Rahmat Shah remains a trailblazer for Afghan cricket, with his recent achievements reflecting his skill and dedication to the sport.
