Rahmat Shah becomes first Afghanistan player to enter ICC Test rankings top 10

Rahmat Shah (Photo credit: ACB)

Afghanistan batter Rahmat Shah has etched his name in the history books, becoming the first cricketer from the country to break into the top 10 of any category in the ICC Men’s Player Rankings.

The 33-year-old climbed to a career-best seventh position among Test batters following a remarkable century against Zimbabwe in Sharjah.Rahmat made a significant jump of six places after producing a stunning 173 in the opening Test of the two-match series. His rise saw him move past several established international batters, including India captain Shubman Gill, South Africa’s Aiden Markram and Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis.

Rahmat leads Afghanistan's rise in international cricket

The 173-run knock was Rahmat's fifth Test century and his second of the year. His latest ranking position represents a career-best rating and makes him the first Afghanistan player to enter the top 10 of any category in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.Afghanistan have also enjoyed success in the ODI format. Earlier this month, they reached their highest-ever position in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, climbing to sixth after winning a tri-series involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's Craig Ervine also made significant progress in the latest Test batting rankings. The veteran batter jumped nine places to 48th after remaining unbeaten on a double-century in the second innings of the drawn Test in Sharjah.

West Indies players make gains in Test rankings

The conclusion of the ICC World Test Championship series between Bangladesh and the West Indies also resulted in notable movement in the batting rankings. West Indies batter Kavem Hodge climbed 12 places to 52nd, while Bangladesh's Towhid Hridoy broke into the top 60, reaching 60th position.

Another West Indies batter, Amir Jangoo, made an impressive jump of 28 places to occupy 62nd spot.Among bowlers, West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican was rewarded for his Player of the Series performance against Bangladesh. He climbed 11 places to equal 19th in the Test bowling rankings, achieving a career-high rating. Warrican also improved his position in the all-rounders' rankings, moving up four places to 31st.

His teammate Justin Greaves advanced one position to share eighth place in the Test all-rounders' list.

Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Gurnoor Brar climb in ODI rankings

The latest ICC rankings update also brought encouraging news for several Indian players following the opening two matches of the ODI series against New Zealand.India spinner Axar Patel gained 23 places to reach 21st among ODI bowlers after returning figures of 2/28 in the second match in Wellington. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also made progress, climbing 11 places to equal 31st following his four-wicket haul in the series opener in Auckland.Gurnoor Brar registered one of the biggest jumps in the latest update. The pacer, who is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series with seven scalps, surged from outside the top 100 to 48th in the ODI bowling rankings. New Zealand seamers Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson also improved their standings. Duffy moved up eight places to 43rd, while Jamieson climbed 24 positions to reach 60th.