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PlayersRahmat Shah becomes first Afghanistan cricketer to break into ICC Test top 10
Rahmat Shah’s career-best 173 against Zimbabwe propelled him to seventh in the ICC Test batting rankings.
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Seasoned Afghanistan batter Rahmat Shah carved his name into the annals of cricket history as he became the first player from his nation to break into the top 10 of any category in the ICC Men's Test Player rankings. The 33-year-old right-hander jumped six places to secure a career-best 7th position among Test batters, with a career-high 735 ranking points. He moved past Shubman Gill, Aiden Markram and Kamindu Mendis.
The catalyst for Shah's dramatic rise in the ICC rankings was his marathon innings against Zimbabwe in the first Test at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on November 8 (Sunday). Responding to Zimbabwe's mammoth first-innings total of 504, Shah anchored the Afghan innings with a masterful 173. Batting for 347 deliveries, he struck 14 boundaries and three sixes.
He built a crucial 92-run partnership for the 8th wicket with Zia-ur-Rehman, ultimately pushing Afghanistan's total to an imposing 514. The match, however, ended in a draw.
Afghanistan’s other centurions in the game also made gains with Sediqullah Atal moving up 14 places to 81st after scoring 105, while Rahmanullah’s debut innings of 113 has lifted him to joint-83rd.
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Rahmat Shah’s recent form
Rahmat Shah’s historic ranking is not merely the result of a single innings, but the culmination of consistent performances that established him as a pillar of the Afghanistan Test batting order. In 2026, he has hit 402 runs in 5 innings, with an average of 100.5.
The 173 against Zimbabwe is his second Test century of the year. In October, Shah scored 156 total runs in a one-off Test against Bangladesh, top-scoring with 105 off 216 balls in the first innings and adding 51 in the second.
In the one-off Test against India, Rahmat Shah impressed with an innings of 60 runs off 135 balls, though Afghanistan lost.
