Pakistan players rise in updated ICC T20I rankings

Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Nawaz among top gainers as ICC unveils latest rankings update

Pakistan players made strong progress in the latest ICC Men’s T20I rankings following their recent tri-nation series matches, while Afghanistan, and UAE also enjoyed notable moves

For Pakistan, middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz climbed two spots to 31st with 580 rating points, while skipper Salman Ali Agha made one of the biggest jumps, moving up 18 places to 59th with 497 points. Fakhar Zaman, despite struggling in the series, rose two places to 77th with 433 points.

However, some senior names went the other way. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, both currently out of Pakistan’s T20I setup, slipped to 21st and 22nd respectively. Saim Ayub dropped two places to 40th, while Sahibzada Farhan fell four spots to 67th.

In Afghanistan’s camp, Rahmanullah Gurbaz climbed to 18th, while Ibrahim Zadran enjoyed a major surge, rising 12 places to 20th with 606 points. On the downside, Mohammad Nabi slid to 69th, Hazratullah Zazai to 82nd, and Najibullah Zadran to 87th.

From the UAE, skipper Muhammad Waseem’s consistent form lifted him five places to 26th with 591 points. His teammate Asif Khan, who impressed with a fiery 77 against Pakistan, jumped 13 places to 88th. In contrast, Alishan Sharafu dropped to 91st.

At the very top of the batting rankings, India’s Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma continue to occupy the first and second spots, with England’s Phil Salt holding third place.

In the bowling rankings, Pakistan spinner Sufiyan Muqeem climbed 11 places to 22nd, while Shaheen Afridi gained eight spots to 26th. Mohammad Nawaz also impressed, moving up 15 spots to 43rd. However, Haris Rauf slipped to 28th, Abbas Afridi to 33rd, Abrar Ahmed to 66th, and injured vice-captain Shadab Khan to 81st.

For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan stayed firm at eighth, while pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi remained 16th. Naveen-ul-Haq dropped to 24th, but spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman moved up to 27th. Veteran Nabi climbed to 54th, and youngster Noor Ahmad rose an impressive 49 places to 73rd.

Globally, New Zealand pacer Matt Henry continues to lead the bowling charts, with England’s Adil Rashid in second and West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein in third.