ICC T20I Rankings See Shifts for Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UAE Players

Following their displays in the ongoing tri-nation series, several players from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the UAE have witnessed considerable movement in the updated ICC Men’s T20I rankings.

Pakistan’s Performances

For Pakistan, middle-order batsman Hasan Nawaz has advanced two positions to 31st place, accumulating 580 rating points. Skipper Salman Ali Agha made a significant jump, ascending 18 places to secure 59th position with 497 points. Despite facing difficulties in the current series, opener Fakhar Zaman has edged up two places to 77th with 433 points.

Conversely, seasoned batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, currently absent from Pakistan’s T20I strategy, have descended to 21st and 22nd, respectively. Saim Ayub has also slipped two places to 40th with 558 points, while opener Sahibzada Farhan has fallen four places to 67th with 481 points.

Afghanistan’s Highlights

Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz has risen one spot to 18th, and Ibrahim Zadran has climbed an impressive 12 places to 20th with 606 points. On the other hand, veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has dropped to 69th, Hazratullah Zazai to 82nd, and Najibullah Zadran to 87th.

UAE’s Noteworthy Changes

From the UAE squad, captain Muhammad Waseem has improved his ranking by five places to 26th with 591 points, fueled by a sequence of strong performances. Asif Khan, after his explosive 77 against Pakistan, has surged 13 places to 88th. Meanwhile, Alishan Sharafu has declined seven places to 91st.

Top Batters and Bowlers

At the forefront of the batting rankings, India’s Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma maintain their first and second positions, respectively, with England’s Phil Salt holding third place.

In the bowling rankings, Pakistan’s Sufiyan Muqeem has moved up 11 places to 22nd with 594 points, while left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi has gained eight positions to reach 26th. Haris Rauf has slipped four places to 28th, and Abbas Afridi has fallen to 33rd.

Spinner Mohammad Nawaz has shown significant improvement, climbing 15 places to 43rd with 521 points. Abrar Ahmed has descended four spots to 66th, and injured vice-captain Shadab Khan has dropped nine spots to 81st.

Afghanistan’s Bowling Performances

For Afghanistan, captain Rashid Khan has held steady in eighth place. Pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi remains in 16th, while Naveen-ul-Haq has slipped to 24th. Spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has advanced to 27th. Veteran Mohammad Nabi has jumped 26 places to 54th, and young spinner Noor Ahmad has made a substantial leap of 49 places to 73rd with 446 points.

Global Leaders in Bowling

Globally, New Zealand’s Matt Henry continues to dominate the bowling rankings, followed by England’s Adil Rashid in second and West Indies’ Akeal Hosein in third.