Mohammad Haris Ascends in ICC T20I Rankings

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), collaborating with the revamped management for white-ball cricket, is backing a new wave of cricketers, potentially shifting focus from established players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi.

These three were rested for the recent T20I series against Bangladesh, giving opportunities to young talents such as Mohammad Haris and Hassan Nawaz. This has raised questions about the senior players’ future in the T20I format.

The latest ICC T20I rankings, revealed recently, reflected this shift. Babar Azam, the former captain, fell three positions to 12th, and Mohammad Rizwan dropped to 13th.

Conversely, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris significantly improved his ranking, jumping 210 places to 30th. Hassan Nawaz moved up 57 spots to 46th, Saim Ayub advanced four places to 61st, and captain Salman Ali Agha climbed 42 places to 76th.

While no Pakistani bowler is currently in the T20I top 10, all-rounder Shadab Khan rose 10 places to 14th among all-rounders. New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy currently holds the top spot in the bowling rankings.

Haris Rauf is ranked 20th, Shaheen Afridi 36th, Shadab Khan 59th (up 24 places), and Abrar Ahmed 60th (up 45 places).

Mohammad Haris has swiftly become a key player in Pakistan’s T20I strategy. His aggressive style led to a remarkable century in the final T20I against Bangladesh, earning him the Player of the Series award.

In 17 T20Is, he has accumulated 370 runs at a strike rate of 152.2, including 21 sixes and 33 fours. He debuted in T20Is in 2022 against England, notably hitting Richard Gleeson for a six on his first ball.

As captain, Haris steered the Stallions to victory in the Champions Cup T20, scoring 269 runs with three half-centuries during the tournament.

Hassan Nawaz is another emerging talent making waves. Abdul Razzaq, the former Test all-rounder, was impressed by his power-hitting abilities during a camp and advocated for his selection.

Nawaz justified this confidence by scoring a rapid century off just 44 balls in a T20I against New Zealand in Auckland.

The Haris-Hassan duo opened the innings against New Zealand, setting a new national record by scoring 74 runs in the powerplay – the highest ever for Pakistan in T20 Internationals, breaking a nine-year-old record.

Hassan Nawaz has so far scored 227 runs from 118 balls for Pakistan, hitting 16 sixes and 16 fours. His performance in the domestic 2024–25 season has also been noteworthy.

He played crucial roles in the semi-final and final of the President’s Trophy Grade I and scored 273 runs in five innings of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, including a high score of 169 against Larkana.