Pakistan’s prominent batter, Babar Azam, has, for the first time in eight years, fallen out of the ICC Men’s T20I top 10 rankings, dropping three places to No. 12. The right-handed batter now sits just ahead of his teammate Mohammad Rizwan, both having been excluded from Pakistan’s T20I squad earlier this year under the new captain, Salman Agha.
Babar’s most recent T20I appearance was in January, where he impressively scored three consecutive half-centuries against South Africa before being dismissed for single-digit scores in his initial three innings against West Indies. In the recently concluded Pakistan Super League, he accumulated 288 runs at an average of 36.00, including three half-centuries, and maintained a strike-rate of 128.57.
Concurrently, senior batters Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman have experienced declines in their standings. The left-handed Fakhar dropped 10 places to 87th with 406 points, while Rizwan slipped one spot, now positioned at 13th.
On a more positive note, Pakistan’s commanding 3-0 T20I series whitewash against Bangladesh has been favorably reflected in the latest ICC T20I rankings.
Explosive opener Mohammad Haris has achieved the most significant upward movement, leaping an astonishing 210 places to secure 30th position in the batting rankings with 580 rating points. Haris notably registered the second-fastest T20I century by a Pakistani batter in the series’ final match, showcasing his destructive potential.
Emerging middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz, who played a crucial batting role throughout the series, also saw a notable rise, moving up 57 places to 45th with 540 points. Returning youngster Saim Ayub, who made an impact in the third T20I, climbed four places to 61st, now accumulating 485 points. Meanwhile, captain Agha Salman, who contributed 90 runs across the three-match series, jumped 42 places to 75th with 430 points.
In the bowling rankings, Abbas Afridi’s performances were impressive, earning him an 18-place jump to 19th with 605 points. Vice-captain Shadab Khan also surged up the rankings, moving 24 places to 59th, where he is now tied with Abrar Ahmed, who made a substantial 45-place leap.
Conversely, bowlers Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi observed dips in their rankings, now positioned at 94th, 83rd, 19th, and 36th, respectively. New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy currently holds the top spot in the bowling rankings, followed by West Indies’ Akeal Hosein in second place and India’s Varun Chakaravarthy in third.
