Rahmat Shah Hits Career-Best 7th in ICC Test Rankings After Sharjah 173

Rahmat Shah has kicked down cricket’s high-table door. With a single stroke-filled week in Sharjah, the 33-year-old climbed six spots to claim the seventh position in the latest ICC Men’s Test batting rankings. Afghanistan had never placed a cricketer inside the top 10 of any Test ranking category. Now they have one standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's elite.

Had he scored a scratchy fifty, the dial would not have budged. Instead, Shah pummeled Zimbabwe’s attack for 173 in the opening Test of the two-match series in Sharjah, grinding out his fifth career Test century and his second hundred of the calendar year. The surge shoved him past India captain Shubman Gill, South Africa’s Aiden Markram, and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis. It capped an extraordinary ascent for a batsman who walked out in Bengaluru six years ago during Afghanistan's debut Test against India, back when his team was skittled in two days.

Red-Ball Milestones and Sharjah Records

Shah was not the only batter cashing in on the flat Sharjah surface. Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine produced his own batting clinic during the drawn contest. Ervine carried his bat through the second innings for an unbeaten double-century, vaulting nine spots to take 48th place on the batting ladder.

Further west, the conclusion of the World Test Championship series between Bangladesh and the West Indies triggered sharp movement across both rosters. West Indies middle-order bat Kavem Hodge climbed 12 places to 52nd. Amir Jangoo delivered an eye-catching leap of 28 spots to reach 62nd, while Bangladesh youngster Towhid Hridoy entered the top tier at 60th.

On the bowling side, West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican swept the accolades. Fresh off a Player of the Series performance against Bangladesh, Warrican advanced 11 rungs to share 19th place among Test bowlers with a career-high rating. Warrican also gained ground in the all-rounder category, stepping up four rungs to 31st, while teammate Justin Greaves inched up to joint-eighth among Test all-rounders.

Indian Bowlers Surge in White-Ball Rankings

While Shah commanded the Test stage, India's bowling unit carved up the ODI charts following back-to-back fixtures against New Zealand. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel led the pack. Axar dismantled New Zealand’s middle order with figures of 2/28 in Wellington, propelling him 23 rungs up the ODI bowling ladder to 21st. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh matched the upward trend, jumping 11 places to share 31st after bagging four wickets in the series opener in Auckland.

Yet the most explosive movement belonged to Gurnoor Brar. The rookie quick, sitting at the top of the series wicket-taking charts with seven scalps, rocketed from outside the top 100 to 48th in the world. New Zealand’s attack also gained ground in defeat, as seamer Jacob Duffy pushed up eight slots to 43rd and Kyle Jamieson rose 24 positions to claim 60th.

Shah now leads Afghanistan into the second Test against Zimbabwe in Sharjah, targeting a series victory and another rating push.