KEY POINTS
- Babar Azam rises two spots to 29th in the T20I batting rankings.
- Spinner Sufiyan Muqeem climbs the bowling rankings to 32nd position.
- India’s Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakaravarthy lead batting and bowling rankings, respectively.
DUBAI: Pakistan’s cricket stars have experienced a mixed bag of results in the latest update to the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. While former captain Babar Azam and emerging spinner Sufiyan Muqeem have made significant gains, several of their teammates have seen their positions slide.
The weekly update, released by the International Cricket Council on Friday, reflects performances from recent T20I series around the globe.
Batters: Babar Rises, Rizwan Slips
In the T20I batting rankings, opener Sahibzada Farhan has held firm at an impressive sixth position with 752 rating points.
The most notable movement comes from Babar Azam, who has jumped two places to 29th with 573 points after consistent performances.
However, the news wasn’t as positive for other key batters. Young gun Saim Ayub slipped one spot to 37th, while mainstay Mohammad Rizwan dropped from 55th to 56th, now holding 504 points.
Fakhar Zaman maintained his 64th position, Hasan Nawaz sits at 80th, and Mohammad Haris is placed 92nd with 398 points.
India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to lead as the world’s number one T20I batter.
He is followed by England’s Phil Salt in second. India’s Tilak Varma has returned to the third spot, pushing Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka down to fourth.
Bowlers: Muqeem on the Move
The bowling rankings saw a standout performance from Sufiyan Muqeem. The spinner improved his standing to 32nd position, amassing 576 points, a positive sign for Pakistan’s spin arsenal.
Spinners Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz held their ground at fourth and 11th spots respectively. However, pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi dropped one place to 20th.
Salman Mirza retained his 35th position, while Saim Ayub (also listed as a bowler) fell two places to 42nd. Fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf maintained their rankings at 54th and 58th, respectively.
The bowling rankings continue to be dominated by India’s Varun Chakaravarthy at number one, with New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy in second and Afghanistan’s legendary Rashid Khan in third place.
