Latest ICC Rankings: Rashid Khan Claims Top Spot Among T20I Bowlers; Babar Azam Drops to Fourth in Standings for Batters
Rashid, who took a wicket each in the three matches conceding a total of 62 runs off his 12 overs, surpassed Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga to take the top position. He grabbed the top spot for the first time in his career in February 2018 and was number one most recently in November last year.
Dubai, March 29: After leading Afghanistan to historic 2-1 series win over Pakistan, leg-spinner Rashid Khan regained the top spot among bowlers in the latest ICC T20I player rankings, released on Wednesday. Rashid, who took a wicket each in the three matches conceding a total of 62 runs off his 12 overs, surpassed Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga to take the top position. He grabbed the top spot for the first time in his career in February 2018 and was number one most recently in November last year. Rashid's teammate Fazalhaq Farooqi, who was the standout pacer during the series with a total of five wickets and an economy rate of just 4.75, shot up an eye-catching 12 spots to third overall on the latest rankings update. Rashid Khan Launches Ihsanullah's Bouncer Out of the Stadium During PAK vs AFG 3rd T20I 2023 (Watch Video).
Afghanistan now has three players inside the top 10 of the T20I category for bowlers, with spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman rounding out the talented trio in the eighth spot following his four wickets for the series against Pakistan. Pakistan's regular captain Babar Azam, who was given a rest during the Afghanistan series, dropped one position to fourth place on the T20I batters ranking.
Pakistan stand-in skipper Shadab Khan in the Afghanistan series performed exceptionally well and as a result, was recognised with an improved ranking in the latest update. He jumped eight spots to fourth on the T20I all-rounder rankings and gained six places to 12th overall on the list for bowlers.
West Indies' series victory over South Africa saw a host of their players jump up the T20I rankings list, with beanpole quick Alzarri Joseph improving 17 spots to 33rd overall for bowlers and teammate Johnson Charles jumping a whopping 92 places to 17th for batters. Rashid Khan Bowls 100 Consecutive Deliveries Without Conceding A Boundary in T20Is, Achieves Unique Feat During PAK vs AFG 3rd T20I 2023.
South Africa duo Rilee Rossouw (up two spots to sixth) and Reeza Hendricks (up eight places to 12th) also made good ground on the T20I rankings for batters in what was a high-scoring and entertaining series.
There was some movement on the ODI charts too, following the completion of Australia's series away from home in India and Zimbabwe's series with the Netherlands.
India opener Shubman Gill rose to a career-high rating of 738 points in fifth place on the list for ODI batters, with skipper Rohit Sharma jumping one spot to eighth overall in the same category. Needed to Play for Pakistan’s Pride and We Did It, Says Captain Shadab Khan After Avoiding T20I Series Clean Sweep Against Afghanistan.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya is up 10 places to 76th among bowlers in the latest update that takes into consideration performances in the final ODI of the three-match series against Australia.
Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa jumped three places to sixth overall on the list for ODI bowlers, while Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza improved one spot to fifth in the all-rounder category.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 29, 2023 04:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).