ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s batsmen Babar Azam and Saim Ayub saw their fortunes rise, while captain Mohammad Rizwan faced a setback in his ranking as ICC unveiled latest T20I Batting Rankings on Wednesday.
It is pertinent to highlight that Pakistan endured a 0-2 defeat in their three-match T20I series against South Africa, with the final match being washed out due to relentless rain in Johannesburg on December 14. This marked Rizwan’s second consecutive series loss since taking the helm as Pakistan’s white-ball captaincy.
As a result, Rizwan slipped two spots to eighth place, accumulating 704 rating points after scoring just 11 runs off 13 balls in the second T20I.
On the other hand, Babar Azam, who had a disappointing four-ball duck in the first T20I, bounced back with a commendable 31 runs off 20 balls in the second match, allowing him to ascend one position to sixth in the rankings.
Aside from Babar and Rizwan, no other Pakistani batsman features in the top 50, with Saim Ayub emerging as the third-highest-ranked player from the nation.
Saim made a significant leap of 45 places to secure the 58th position, boasting 483 rating points, thanks to his impressive unbeaten knock of 98 runs off 57 balls in the second T20I against South Africa.
In the bowling department, pace sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi dropped one spot to 21st, while Haris Rauf fell three places to 26th following their lacklustre performances against South Africa.
Australia’s Travis Head is the top T20 batter, while England’s Adil Rashid is the top-ranked bowler in T20 cricket.
Meanwhile, West Indies’ pacer Akeal Hosein has gone to the top of the ICC T20I rankings for bowlers after claiming two wickets in the opening game against Bangladesh.
With his 2 for 13 in the thriller West Indies lost in St Vincent, Hosein jumped three places to go past three other spinners: Adil Rashid, Wanindu Hasaranga and Adam Zampa.
Among T20I batters, Reeza Hendricks broke into the top ten by going up six places to rank ninth after his scintillating 117 off 63 in the second T20I in Centurion.
ICC Test Rankings
In the Test rankings, Joe Root has regained his place at the top of the batters’ chart after scores of 32 and 54 in the third Test in Hamilton, which England lost by a massive 423 runs. His team-mate Harry Brook moved back to second after scoring 0 and 1 in the same Test.
Root earned his top spot back only a week after Brook had taken the No. 1 spot after two prolific Tests in Wellington and Christchurch. On Tuesday, he also finished third in the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
Matt Henry’s rise to the seventh spot was the only movement among the top ten Test bowlers after the fast bowler took 4 for 48 and 2 for 62 in New Zealand’s victory in Hamilton.
England’s Gus Atkinson gained five places to eighth among Test allrounders after he took four wickets in the third Test while also chipping in with scores of 43 and 4.
ICC ODI Rankings
West Indies left-hander Sherfane Rutherford has made a significant upward leap in ICC ODI Player Rankings following his impressive century against Bangladesh in the first match of the series.
Rutherford’s blistering 113 has carried him up 62 spots in the rankings, placing him 31st, joining the Netherlands’ Scott Edwards in the same position.
Rutherford’s rise in the ICC Men’s rankings was not the only good news for the West Indies. ODI Captain Shai Hope also moved up one place to eighth spot among the batters.
Meanwhile, West Indies left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie climbed four spots to ninth on the ODI bowlers’ list, showcasing his all-around brilliance and leaping to joint-36th position among all-rounders.
