Rahmat Shah Becomes First Afghanistan Player in ICC Test Top 10

Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah has become the first player from his country to enter the top 10 of the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, climbing to seventh place after his career-best 173 against Zimbabwe in Sharjah. The ICC released the latest rankings update on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, and Rahmat’s rise — to a personal-best 735 rating points — is the headline of a week of big movements across the Test batting chart.

Rahmat reached the landmark in the opening match of Afghanistan’s two-match series against Zimbabwe in Sharjah, a high-scoring contest that ended in a draw after both sides produced totals above 500. It is the first time any Afghanistan player has broken into the top 10 of the ICC Test Player Rankings in either batting or bowling.

Rahmat Shah’s Rankings Rise at a Glance

The Innings That Did It

Rahmat’s 173 was the centrepiece of Afghanistan’s first innings in Sharjah. It was his career-best score in Test cricket, and it carried him six places up the rankings into seventh — past a string of established names and into a top 10 headed by England’s Harry Brook on 861 points.

He was not the only Afghanistan batter to profit. Sediqullah Atal moved up 14 places to 81st after scoring 105, reaching a career-best 414 rating points, while Rahmanullah’s debut innings of 113 lifted him to joint-83rd. The Sharjah Test was a run-feast: Zimbabwe became the first team in Test history to score more than 500 runs in both innings of the same match.

ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings — Top 10

India’s Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill both slipped a place in the update, to eighth and tenth respectively, while New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell holds ninth. For Pakistan, Babar Azam remains 15th in the Test batting rankings with 684 rating points.

Zimbabwe’s Batters Also Cashed In

The Sharjah run-feast lifted Zimbabwe’s batters too. Craig Ervine, who became the third-oldest player at 41 years and 84 days to score a Test double-century, climbed nine places to 48th after his unbeaten 206. Brian Bennett’s scores of 128 and 58 lifted him 10 slots to 75th, while Brendan Taylor surged 29 spaces to 103rd after making 131 and 82. Wessly Madhevere’s maiden Test century earned him a place in the top 100 for the first time, moving him to 99th.

Zimbabwe’s Newman Nyamhuri climbed 10 places to a career-best 75th in the Test Bowling Rankings after taking 5 for 82 against Afghanistan’s innings.

Big Gains in Sylhet Too

The other series feeding into this update was the World Test Championship match between Bangladesh and West Indies in Sylhet. Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy made the biggest jump of the week, rocketing from 175th to 60th in the Test Batting Rankings after scoring a national-record unbeaten 242 in the first innings and 82 in the second.

West Indies batter Kavem Hodge moved to a career-best 52nd after scoring 142 in the second innings, helping his side set Bangladesh a target of 369, while team-mate Amir Jangoo advanced 28 places to 62nd after making 133 in the first innings. Jomel Warrican took seven wickets at Sylhet, lifting him 11 slots to joint-19th in the Test Bowling Rankings — his first appearance inside the top 20.

Bowlers and All-Rounders: Who Leads

At the top of the Test bowling rankings, Australia’s Mitchell Starc leads with 881 points, ahead of South Africa’s Marco Jansen on 875 and New Zealand’s Matt Henry on 861. England’s Ollie Robinson is fourth on 856, and India’s Jasprit Bumrah holds fifth place on 853. In the Test all-rounders’ rankings, India’s Ravindra Jadeja continues to occupy second position behind Jansen.

In the ODI rankings, the top four batting positions remain unchanged, with India’s Shubman Gill leading New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, followed by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The ODI standings also reflect India’s ongoing five-match series against New Zealand, which India lead 2-0 after the third ODI in Hamilton was washed out on 11 November. Axar Patel advanced 23 places to 21st in the ODI Bowling Rankings after taking 2 for 28 in India’s second-match victory in Wellington.

For readers following Pakistan’s Test cricket, our preview of the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka first Test in Rawalpindi — schedule, squads and WTC context has the latest from the home series, and our guide to the Pakistan vs India U19 Asia Cup 2026 — date, time, squads and how to watch covers the next generation. For more football from the region, our report on Pakistan reaching the SAFF Championship semi-finals has the latest from Dhaka.

We will update this page when the ICC releases its next rankings update after the second Afghanistan–Zimbabwe Test and the next round of World Test Championship matches.

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