Mirpur triumph provides rankings rise for Bangladesh's best

An impressive victory over Pakistan in the first Test in Mirpur has helped a host of Bangladesh stars make good gains on the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings.

Bangladesh registered a 104-run triumph over their Asian rival in what was their first win of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle, with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto leading the way with a Player of the Match performance with the bat.

Shanto scored his ninth Test century in the first innings and followed that up with an equally important knock of 87 in the second innings and the in-form left-hander was rewarded with a gain of 16 places on the latest rankings for Test batters to achieve a new career-high rating in equal 23rd spot.

Bangladesh teammates Mushfiqur Rahim (up two rungs to 26th) and Mominul Haque (up 12 slots to equal 35th) also make gains on the updated list for Test batters following some decent efforts against Pakistan, while a pair of their pacers and a left-arm spinner made ground on the rankings for Test bowlers.

Taijul Islam collected a pair of wickets in both of Pakistan's innings and gained three places to move to 13th overall on the rankings for Test bowlers, while experienced seamer Taskin Ahmed re-enters the rankings at 48th following four scalps of his own in what was his first Test appearance since the end of 2024.

There were also gains for right-armer Nahid Rana, with the fast bowler improving five spots to 64th after his decisive five-wicket haul during the second innings of that Mirpur clash.

There was also some joy for Pakistan as pace Mohammad Abbas re-entered the bowling charts at 28 following his five-wicket haul in the first innings.