England would be looking to close in on fourth-placed New Zealand in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings in an upcoming two-Test home series while Pakistan could overtake England if they pull off victories in both matches at Lord’s (24-28 May) and Headingley (1-5 June).
A 2-0 win for England will lift them to 101 points and within one point of New Zealand, with Pakistan losing six points with such a verdict and slipping to 81. A 1-0 series win will see England gain one point and reach 99 while Pakistan will be on 83 points, four points below their present tally of 87 points.
A drawn series will see England lose one point and Pakistan gain one point, while Pakistan will improve substantially if they win the series. A 1-0 series win will lift Pakistan by six points to 93 points and just one point below England while a 2-0 result will see them overtake England to reach 95 points
Series Scenarios
- England win 2-0 – England 101 points, Pakistan 81
- England win 1-0 – England 99, Pakistan 83
- Drawn series – England 97, Pakistan 88
- Pakistan win 1-0 – England 94, Pakistan 93
- Pakistan win 2-0 – Pakistan 95, England 93
In the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings, England captain Joe Root is the leading batsman from either side at third position and would be looking to inch back towards the 900-point mark, which he had held on to until September last year, and close the gap of 45 points with India captain Virat Kohli (912).
Wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow (13th), experienced opener Alastair Cook (16th) and all-rounder Ben Stokes (25th) are their other leading batsmen.
The seaming home conditions will also give fast bowler James Anderson a chance to seize back the top position as only six points separate him from South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, while 12th-ranked Stuart Broad would be looking to move into the top 10.
Pakistan opener Azhar Ali (12th) dropped two places after the recent one-off Test against Ireland and this series provides him the opportunity to regain a place in the top 10 while Asad Shafiq (32nd) would be similarly looking to move up after dropping seven places following the Dublin Test.
Pace bowlers Mohammad Assad (29th) and Mohammad Amir (37th) would be relishing the prospect of playing in English conditions after tuning up well for the series including a good account in the Dublin Test.
Series Schedule
24-28 May – 1st Test, Lord’s, London
1-5 June – 2nd Test, Headingley, Leeds
The Test team rankings, unlike the ODI and T20I rankings, are updated after the end of the series and the Test predictor function is available here.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings (as of 22 May, before the England-Pakistan Test series)
Rank   Team                Points
1         India               125
2         South Africa     112
3         Australia           106
4         New Zealand    102
5         England           98
6         Sri Lanka         94
7         Pakistan            87
8         Bangladesh      75
9         Windies             67
10        Zimbabwe         2
Also played: Ireland – 1 match, 0 points
Yet to play their first Test: Afghanistan.
(Developed by David Kendix)
MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as of 22 May, before the England-Pakistan series):
Batsmen (top 10)
Rank     Player                Team     Pts        Avge     Highest Rating
  1         Steve Smith         Aus        929       61.37     947 v SA at Durban 2018
2         Virat Kohli            Ind         912!      53.40     912 v SA at Johannesburg 2018
3         Joe Root               Eng        867       52.63     917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
4 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kane Williamson NZÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 847Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 50.35Â Â Â Â Â 893 v Aus at Perth 2015
5         David Warner      Aus        820       48.20     880 v NZ at Perth 2015
6         AB de Villiers       SA          813       50.66     935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
7         C. Pujara              Ind         810       50.51     888 v SL at Nagpur 2017
8         Dean Elgar           SA          784!      42.58     784 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
9         Aiden Markram   SA          759*!    55.55     759 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
10        Hashim Amla      SA          726       48.03     907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
Other Selected Rankings
Rank    Player                Team     Pts        Avge     Highest Rating
12       Azhar Ali               Pak        718       45.84     787 v Aus at Melbourne 2016
13       Jonny Bairstow    Eng        702       39.20     772 v SA at Old Trafford 2017
16       Alastair Cook       Eng        679       45.73     874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
25=     Ben Stokes          Eng        617       35.16     664 v Win at Lord’s 2017
32       Asad Shafiq         Pak        604       39.53     758 v Eng at Lord’s 2016
37       Sarfraz Ahmed    Pak        584       39.22     715 v SL at Galle 2015
45       Moeen Ali             Eng        547       32.40     655 v SA at Old Trafford 2017
81       Faheem Ashraf   Pak        392*!    83.00     392 v Ire at Malahide 2018
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank    Player                 Team     Pts        Avge     Highest Rating
1         Kagiso Rabada   SA          897       21.59     902 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2018
2         James Anderson Eng        891       27.36     896 v Win at Lord’s 2017
3 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Vernon Philander SAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 845Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 21.46Â Â Â Â Â 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
4         Ravindra Jadeja  Ind         844       23.73     899 v Aus at Ranchi 2017
5         R. Ashwin             Ind         803       25.56     904 v Eng at Mumbai 2016
6=       Morne Morkel      SA          800!      27.66     800 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
Pat Cummins      Aus        800*!    23.81     800 v SA at Johannesburg 2018
8         Trent Boult           NZ          795       27.84     825 v Eng at Lord’s 2015
9         Rangana Herath SL          777       28.18     867 v Zim at Harare 2016
10        Neil Wagner         NZ          765       28.26     785 v Win at Wellington 2017
Other selected rankings
Rank     Player                Team     Pts        Avge     Highest Rating
12         Stuart Broad        Eng        732       29.04     880 v SA at Johannesburg 2016
29         M. Abbas              Pak        539*!    18.78     539 v Ire at Malahide 2018
30         Ben Stokes          Eng        533*     34.13     596 v Win at Lord’s 2017
33         Moeen Ali             Eng        502       40.68     633 v Win at Edgbaston 2017
34         Chris Woakes      Eng        489*     35.53     609 v Pak at The Oval 2016
37         M. Amir              Pak        453*     31.95     658 v Eng at Lord’s 2010
All-rounders (top five)
Rank     Player              Team      Pts        Highest Rating
1         S. Al Hasan         Ban        421       489 v Aus at Mirpur 2017
2         R. Jadeja              Ind         391       438 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017
3         V. Philander        SA          372       376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
4         R. Ashwin             Ind         368       493 v Eng at Mohali 2016
5         Ben Stokes          Eng        329/*    396 v Win at Lord’s 2017
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.