For the first time since the ICC ODI and T20I Player rankings were introduced, Pakistan batters have occupied the top two positions in the latest rankings, which the ICC released on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam was replaced by star batter Mohammad Rizwan as the top ranked T20I batter, while South Africa's Aiden Markram retained the third spot.
The Pakistan skipper who ruled the rankings for more than 1,000 days, dropped to the second position with 794 points due to lacklustre performance in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.
ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings
Rizwan was Pakistan's backbone with the bat in their back-to-back victories over Hong Kong and India, scoring 78* and 71 respectively. His performances have propelled him up one rank, passing Babar, who has had a shaky start to the tournament.
After Babar and Misbah-ul-Haq, Rizwan is only the third Pakistani batter to top the T20I rankings chart.
India's Suryakumar Yadav has slid to fourth place in the latest update, but a slew of players from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have risen due to stellar performances in the Asia Cup. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis of Sri Lanka have made significant progress after striking half-centuries in a thrilling win over India on Tuesday. Nissanka has risen one spot to ninth, while Mendis has risen 63 places to 41st.
No other Indian batsman features in the top ten of the latest rankings for batsmen. India skipper Rohit Sharma has moved up four spots to number 13 after his 72 against Sri Lanka.
ICC Men's T20I Bowling Rankings
Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan is one of the greatest movers, climbing fourteen spots to No.15 thanks to his 84 against Sri Lanka in the Super Four match. After his 72 against Sri Lanka, Indian captain Rohit Sharma goes up four spots to No. 13.
In the bowling charts, Aghanistan and Sri Lankan spinners have been the biggest gainers after their tremendous performances. Mujeeb Ur Rahman's 2/30 has helped him gain three spots, to move to joint No.6 along with Akeal Hosein.
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