Head replaces Kumar in ICC T20I rankings

Babar and Rizwan slip one spot each in the list

Australian opener Travis Head has replaced India’s Suryakumar Yadav from top-spot in the ICC T20I batter’s rankings on Wednesday.

Head’s standout performance came in the T20 World Cup, where he scored an impressive 76 in a losing effort against India, extending the match much longer than expected after Rohit Sharma’s significant total for India.

England’s Phil Salt (816), Pakistan’s Babar Azam (755) and Mohammad Rizwan (746) have also dropped one spot each to slip to third, fourth and fifth position on the rankings, respectively.

“Suryakumar Yadav has been the top-ranked men’s batter in the T20 format since December 2023, having also held the No. 1 spot on previous occasions. But SKY’s tenure is no more, thanks to some stunning displays at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by an in-form Australian,” the ICC said in a press release.

“Aussie opener Travis Head is the newly crowned leader of the rankings, having enjoyed a stunning run since cementing his spot at the top of the order for his national side in the shortest format.

“Head saved his best for last in the T20 World Cup, slamming a brilliant 76 in a losing cause against India, keeping a high-scoring game alive for far longer than looked likely after Rohit Sharma had teed up a huge score for India.”

England’s Adil Rashid still leads the bowling chart, but Rashid Khan has jumped to second after his T20 World Cup heroics, with Josh Hazlewood rising three places into fourth, behind Hasaranga.

“A few big names are surging up the bowling rankings a bit further down the standings, having been used sparingly by their countries for varying reasons in recent times. Kuldeep Yadav is up 20 places into 11th, while his Indian teammate Jasprit Bumrah has jumped a remarkable 44 spots into 24th, and England’s Jofra Archer is up 19 to 38th on his comeback from injury,” ICC added.

India’s Hardik Pandya has moved up to third, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi holds the second spot, and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga has reclaimed the number one position. West Indies’ Roston Chase made a significant leap, moving up 17 places to sit in 12th.