ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, has moved up one spot to third place in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 International players rankings, while his opening partner, Mohammad Rizwan, has maintained his second position. This update was released on Wednesday by the ICC.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will have a chance to narrow the gap between them and India’s Suryakumar Yadav, who currently holds the top spot and is playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The two Pakistani players will be in action during the next five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on April 14 in Lahore.
According to the ICC, Suryakumar has a significant lead in the T20I rankings for batters, with 906 rating points. However, Rizwan, with 811 points, and Babar, with 755 points, could gain ground while Suryakumar is playing in the IPL.
Babar Azam’s rise was due to Devon Conway
Interestingly, Babar’s rise to third place was due to Devon Conway’s absence from New Zealand’s series against Sri Lanka, with New Zealand’s batter also at the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Unfortunately, no Pakistani player is currently in the top ten of the ICC bowler’s rankings in T20Is. The highest-ranked Pakistani player in this category is all-rounder Shadab Khan, who is in 12th place.
However, Shadab is the only Pakistani player in the top ten of the all-rounder’s rankings for T20I, securing fourth place.
The T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand will be important for both teams as they prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup later this year. The series promises to be an exciting battle between two evenly matched-sides.
