(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Pakistan’s Noman Ali Rises to Become World’s Second-Best Test Bowler
Oct 22, 2025
Pakistan’s impressive return to Test cricket has brought well-deserved recognition for left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who has climbed to second place in the latest ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings following a stellar performance against South Africa in Lahore.
The 39-year-old spinner delivered a match-winning spell — taking six wickets for 112 runs in the first innings and four for 79 in the second — leading Pakistan to a 93-run victory and a 1-0 lead in the ICC World Test Championship series.
With this performance, Noman achieved a career-high 853 rating points, just 29 behind India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who remains at the top of the global rankings. This makes Noman the highest-ranked Pakistani Test bowler and only the seventh in history to cross the 850-point mark — the first since Yasir Shah in 2016.
Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi moved up two spots to 19th, and Sajid Khan retained his 21st position.
ICC Test Bowling Rankings (Top 5):
1️⃣ Jasprit Bumrah (India) – 882 pts
2️⃣ Noman Ali (Pakistan) – 853 pts
3️⃣ Matt Henry (New Zealand) – 846 pts
4️⃣ Pat Cummins (Australia) – 838 pts
5️⃣ Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) – 837 pts
On the batting front, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan (16), Babar Azam (22), and Salman Ali Agha (30) all made notable progress, while Saud Shakeel remains the country’s top-ranked batter at 13th place.
ICC Test Batting Rankings (Top 5):
1️⃣ Joe Root (England) – 908 pts
2️⃣ Harry Brook (England) – 868 pts
3️⃣ Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 850 pts
4️⃣ Steve Smith (Australia) – 816 pts
5️⃣ Yashasvi Jaiswal (India) – 791 pts
With the ongoing Pakistan–South Africa series heating up, fans are eagerly watching to see if Noman Ali can continue his exceptional form and challenge Bumrah for the world’s top Test bowling spot.
