KARACHI: Pakistan’s veteran right-handed batsman Azhar Ali has moved up two places and is now positioned on the 10th place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Rankings for Batsman. The 33-year-old scored a century in the first innings during the third Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan went on to lose the game by 123 runs and subsequently the three-match series as well with a 2-1 score-line. Middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq also gained one place after scoring a century in the first innings during the third Test against the Black Caps and is now placed on the 21st spot. Kane Williamson became the first New Zealand batsman and 32nd overall to break the 900-point barrier following a stellar performance in the third Test against Pakistan, which helped his side to win their first away series against the Asian side in 49 years. Williamson scored 89 and 139 in Abu Dhabi last week, which not only helped him in winning the Player of the Match award, but also earn 37 points in the latest player rankings, which, in turn, has allowed him to leapfrog Australia’s Steve Smith into second position on a career-high 913 points. Published in Daily Times, December 12th 2018.