Pakistan Players Ascend in ICC T20I Rankings

Following their strong showing in the recent tri-nation series against Afghanistan and the UAE, Pakistani players have seen notable improvements in the ICC T20I rankings. The series culminated in a decisive victory for Pakistan over Afghanistan in the final.

Key Movements in Batting Rankings

T20I captain Salman Ali Agha has advanced two positions, now holding 57th place with 505 points. Opener Fakhar Zaman experienced a significant jump, climbing nine spots to 68th with a total of 464 points.

Among other batsmen, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who have been absent from Pakistan’s T20 plans since December 2024, have each descended in the rankings. Azam dropped to 24th (down three places), while Rizwan is now 28th (down six places).

Other shifts include Hasan Nawaz falling to 35th (down four places), Saim Ayub to 41st (down one place), and Sahibzada Farhan to 73rd (down six places).

The top batting spots are still held by India’s Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, with England’s Phil Salt in third.

Changes in Bowling Rankings

No Pakistani bowler is currently positioned in the top 10 of the ICC T20I bowling rankings.

Spinner Sufiyan Muqeem improved his standing by seven places, reaching 15th with 632 points, and left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi moved up four spots to 22nd with 598 points.

Abrar Ahmed made a substantial leap, rising 39 places to 27th with 566 points, while Mohammad Nawaz climbed 13 places to 30th. Conversely, pacers Haris Rauf and Abbas Afridi each declined, moving to 35th and 37th positions, respectively. Shadab Khan, currently recovering from an injury, dropped to 89th.

New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy maintains his position as the top-ranked T20I bowler, followed by England’s Adil Rashid and West Indies’ Akeal Hosein.