Pakistan have slipped to their lowest-ever position in the ICC Test rankings, dropping to ninth following a 3-0 series whitewash against England.
Pakistan lost one place in the latest rankings, with the West Indies moving up to eighth. Zimbabwe retained 10th place with 17 rating points.
There were no other changes in the top 10. Australia remained at the top, while England stayed fifth despite their convincing series win.
Pakistan’s ranking dropped after England completed a dominant 3-0 sweep in the three-match series, with wins at Headingley, Lord’s and Edgbaston.
England began the series with an innings-and-103-run win at Headingley. Joe Root’s team then produced another strong performance at Lord’s, winning by 194 runs.
After the second defeat, the Pakistan Cricket Board made major changes to the team. Seven players were released from the squad, while changes were also made to the coaching staff.
Five uncapped players, Razaullah, Arafat Minhas, Imran Randhawa, Mohammad Imran Junior and Saad Baig — were added to the squad, while Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal returned.
The coaching setup was also changed. Red-ball coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were released, while white-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke took charge.
However, the changes did not bring an immediate improvement. England went on to win the final Test at Edgbaston by eight wickets after successfully chasing a target of 130.
The series defeat added to Pakistan’s problems in Test cricket. They are currently at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship standings, with only two wins from nine matches and a points percentage of 14.81%.
Pakistan have now won just seven of their last 20 Tests and have suffered six series whitewashes in their last 12 series.
Despite the disappointing series, fast bowler Razaullah was one of the few positives for Pakistan. He made his Test debut in the final match, regularly bowled at more than 140 kph and took four wickets, including the important dismissal of Joe Root.
Razaullah also impressed with the bat, scoring a quick 81 off 63 balls, with four fours and nine sixes.
