Pakistan has narrowed the gap with the top four sides in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table after beating number-one ranked England by 3-0 in the three-Test series which finished in Dubai on Monday.

Pakistan had entered the series in fifth position on 99 ratings points and though it has not gained any place on the Championship table, it has moved to 108 ratings points and within striking distance of the top four for the first time since 2007.

Pakistan are now just three ratings points behind India and Australia, and nine ratings points behind number-two ranked South Africa.

England, in contrast, has retained its number-one ranking which it has held since beating India in England last summer. Nevertheless, Andrew Strauss’s side has plummeted from 125 ratings points to 118 ratings points to lead second-ranked South Africa by just one ratings point, placing their lead in jeopardy even before they head to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series starting next month.

For Pakistan, this is its highest rating since it climbed to 108 ratings points in May 2007. It is also the first time Pakistan has beaten England in all the Tests of a series in 22 attempts.