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In May 1984, Pakistan broke through into the top three nations of Test cricket.� Pakistan has never reached the summit and claimed first position.� However, Pakistan only dropped back out of the top three for the first time in November 1999.� Since 1999, Pakistan has spent three brief periods in fourth place for a total of 16 months.
For most of the last 18 years, Pakistan has been ranked directly behind the great West Indian teams under Lloyd and Richards and more recently behind the Australians from 1992 under Border, Taylor and Waugh as well as the South Africans under Cronje and Pollock from 1998.
However, for most of the last eight years, the Pakistanis have been slowly haemorrhaging ratings points.� In December 1994, Pakistan set their national record with a highest rating of 1132 points.� At the time, they were ranked second to the West Indies.�
From that time onwards, the Pakistani rating has drifted lower and now stands at 1065 points after their inexperienced youngsters were hammered three nil by Australia in October.
Pakistan's lead over fourth placed England now stands at only six points and they are at risk of falling back into fourth place behind England.� However, in the short term, Pakistan is more likely to retain third place than slip further downwards.
Pakistan's record against Zimbabwe suggests that Pakistan is most likely to gain ratings points in their Test series starting in Harare.� Pakistan has played 12 Tests against Zimbabwe and has won six, lost two and drawn four.� Pakistan has won four of the five Test series they have played against Zimbabwe while losing one, when in 1998 the final Test was abandoned without a ball bowled due to a cyclone.
Pakistan has a 154 rating point lead over Zimbabwe, which is almost as large as Australia's lead over England.� For Pakistan to drop below England, history would need to be created in both the series in Zimbabwe and the Ashes series in Australia.
Pakistan will have a far stronger batting line up for this series with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana returning to the middle order after both players missed the entire Australian whitewash with injuries.� Shoaib Akhtar's thunderbolts, which were missing in their last Test against Australia, should also trouble the Zimbabwe side.�
Pakistan must win the series in order to increase their lead over England, while if Zimbabwe can hold the tourists to a draw then they will benefit from more ratings points.
History, however, does not favour Zimbabwe.� Zimbabwe has only managed to win one Test against Pakistan on their home pitches and have lost four others with one draw.� While Pakistan will have benefited from their series against Australia, Zimbabwe is likely to be rusty as they have not played a Test since March.
Zimbabwe's Test record shows that they have only ever won four Test series since beginning their career in 1992.� Two of those wins were against Bangladesh in 2001.� Their other two series victories were both in 1998 against Pakistan (as mentioned above) and Sri Lanka.� At the time in 1998, they held a rating of 967 points, a far cry from their current rating of 911 points.
Zimbabwe has lost their last five consecutive Tests, three of which was by an innings and another by 315 runs.� Over their last ten Tests, Zimbabwe has won only one with six losses and three draws.� Pakistan, by comparison, has won six and lost four of their last ten Tests.
Zimbabwe will be without captain Heath Streak for at least the first Test due to an injury.� Streak is the home side's only genuine world-class bowler.� Without Streak to lead the attack, Zimbabwe are most likely to spend a very long time in the field chasing leather balls to all limits of the field.
The latest Test cricket ratings are: 1. Australia (1230); 2. South Africa (1138); 3. Pakistan (1065); 4. England (1059); 5. India (1045); 6. Sri Lanka (1041); 7. New Zealand (1025); 8. West Indies (996); 9. Zimbabwe (911); 10. Bangladesh (826).
