KEY POINTS
- Salman Ali Agha surges 13 places to 41st in T20I batting rankings.
- Salman Mirza makes a massive 16-place jump to 19th among bowlers.
- Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan slide in latest rankings update.
- Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza dethrones Pakistan’s Saim Ayub as world No. 1 all-rounder.
DUBAI: Pakistan’s T20I captain Salman Ali Agha and emerging fast bowler Salman Mirza made major gains in the latest ICC rankings following their performances in the three-match series against Sri Lanka, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The latest rankings update, released on Wednesday, also marked a significant shift at the pinnacle of the all-rounders’ list, where Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza dethroned Pakistan’s Saim Ayub to reclaim the No. 1 position.
Agha soars, Babar slides
In the batting rankings, captain Salman Ali Agha was the biggest mover, surging 13 places to claim 41st position with 534 rating points.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan continued his steady rise, climbing one spot to a career-best fifth.
However, the news was less favourable for some of Pakistan’s established stars.
Former captain Babar Azam slipped three places to 32nd, while Mohammad Rizwan, absent from the T20I setup since late 2024, fell three spots to 59th.
Fakhar Zaman (down two to 66th) and Hasan Nawaz (down three to 83rd) also lost ground.
Saim Ayub held onto his 37th position in the batting chart. India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the T20I batting rankings.
Mirza’s meteoric rise
The bowling rankings witnessed a spectacular leap by paceman Salman Mirza, who jumped a remarkable 16 places to break into the top 20, now sitting at 19th with 618 points.
This surge contrasted with declines for several teammates. Spinner Abrar Ahmed dropped one place to fifth, while Mohammad Nawaz fell two to 13th.
Pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi slid five places to 25th, and Faheem Ashraf endured a steep 21-place fall to 79th.
India’s Varun Chakaravarthy remains the top-ranked T20I bowler.
Raza topples Saim for top spot
The most notable change came in the all-rounders’ rankings, where Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza displaced Saim Ayub to regain the world No. 1 ranking.
Saim, who retained his 37th place in batting, saw his all-rounder rank plummet due to a 12-place drop in his bowling rating.
For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz held firm in fifth place, while Shadab Khan made an eight-place gain to 37th. Salman Ali Agha’s strong all-round series also earned him a one-place rise to 60th.
The rankings reflect a period of transition for Pakistan’s T20I side, with new faces making their mark as some seasoned campaigners see their standings dip following the drawn series against Sri Lanka.
