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De Villiers shot up to second on the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen

South Africa wicketkeeper batsman AB de Villiers and Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq have both achieved career-best rankings following the conclusion of the first Test in Abu Dhabi, which Pakistan won by seven wickets.

De Villiers, who scored 19 and 90 during the match, attained three ratings points, which was enough for him to leapfrog West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and put him at second on the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for Test batsmen.

Ul-Haq, who scored 100 and 28 not out during the match, jumped five places to seventh on the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.

Pakistan opening batsman Khurram Mazoor, who scored 146, which is the highest score for a Pakistani batsman against South Africa, leapt up 45 spots to 52nd, while batsman Asad Shafiq moved up nine places to 25th.

While there were no changes in the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Proteas seamer Vernon Philander became the third South African bowler after Shaun Pollock (909) and Dale Steyn (908) to reach the 900-point mark.

Pakistan pace bowler Junaid Khan’s four wickets in the match helped him shoot up 10 places and occupy the 22nd spot.

In the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis conceded the top spot to Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan after scoring only five runs and going wicketless throughout the entire match.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s seven-wicket win means that they will move up to fourth on the ICC Test Team Rankings, regardless of the outcome of the second Test in Dubai, which gets underway on October 23.