Pakistan, Sri Lanka eye Test ranking boost

The Dawn: A major shuffle in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings is likely as Pakistan and Sri Lanka go head-to-head in a three-Test series in Galle on Wednesday.

In a tightly-packed middle-order of the ICC Test Championship, Pakistan trails third-ranked New Zealand by two points and is in sixth place (level on 97 points with India and England), while Sri Lanka is one point behind in seventh position.

If Pakistan win all the three Tests, they will vault into third place on 105 points, while a 2-1 win would also see Misbah-ul-Haq’s side move into third place on 101 points.

Sri Lanka can also gain as many as eight points and move into third position on 104 points if they sweep the series. Angelo Mathews’ side will rise to third on 100 points if it wins 2-1.

In the ICC Test Team Rankings, Australia has retained its second position on 111 points, 19 points behind leader South Africa and 14 ahead of fifth-placed England.

India has slipped to fourth on the table following a drawn Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah.