Pakistan have received a significant double boost ahead of their upcoming Test series against England, with star batter Babar Azam returning to the ICC Men's Test top 10 rankings and Shan Masood resuming training following an injury layoff.

Babar climbed five places to take the No. 10 spot in the latest Test batting rankings following an impressive performance in Pakistan's eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in Port of Spain. The win leveled the two-match World Test Championship series at 1-1, ending a three-year drought for an away Test win.

Crucial Caribbean Performance

The right-hander played a central role in the second Test triumph, scoring a solid 88 in the first innings before guiding Pakistan home with an unbeaten 24 during the fourth-innings chase. His rise marks a return to the elite top 10 for the first time since September 2024. Babar had previously spent five consecutive years among the world's top 10 Test batters, reaching a career-best ranking of No. 2 in December 2022.

Teammates Abdullah Shafique and Sajid Khan also made notable gains across the rankings following their contributions in the Caribbean. Elsewhere in the ICC rankings, Australia's Travis Head holds the No. 1 spot among Test batters, India's Jasprit Bumrah leads the bowling rankings, and Ravindra Jadeja remains the world's top-ranked Test all-rounder.

Shan Masood Returns to Training

In additional positive news for Pakistan, experienced batter Shan Masood rejoined squad training at Beckenham on Tuesday. Masood had sustained a finger injury during the opening Test against the West Indies, which ruled him out of the second match.

His return to the training nets raises hopes that he will be fully fit and available for selection when the opening Test against England gets underway at Leeds on August 19.