Pakistan rose to sixth position from seventh after gaining seven points, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Friday in its latest annual update, following a recalculation of results.
Australia retained their position at the top of ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings, strengthening their lead with a three-point gain up to 131 points total.
Reigning World Test Champions South Africa remain second on 119, also gaining three rating points overall.
India climbed one place to third with 104 points, overtaking England, which slipped to fourth on 102 in the rankings.
England’s drop comes after the removal of results played prior to 30 April 2023 from the weighted calculation, including notable home series wins against New Zealand and South Africa, plus a 3-0 away triumph in Pakistan, included in the update impact analysis.
The Blackcaps sit at fifth spot while Pakistan also benefited from update, as they now sit in sixth place with a rating of 89 points, moving ahead of Sri Lanka, who are on 86 points in the latest update overall.
The shift comes after England’s 3-0 series win over Pakistan falling outside the full-weightage period, along with the halving of Pakistan’s 2-0 series defeat against Bangladesh in 2024.
West Indies (eighth), Bangladesh (ninth) and Ireland (10th) complete top 10 positions in the Test rankings overall standings table update.
It is pertinent to mention that the Shan Masood-led Pakistan Test team will travel to Bangladesh for a two-match Test series, which is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.
The series will begin with the first Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka from 8 to 12 May.
The second Test is scheduled to take place at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from 16 to 20 May.
Later this year, Pakistan will also feature in Test series against England, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.