Babar, Saim make gains in ICC rankings

Ex-Pakistan captain scored a fighting half-century on T20I return

Pakistan batters Babar Azam and Saim Ayub have made impressive gains in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, following their standout performances in a 2-1 series triumph over South Africa.

The weekly update, released on Wednesday, saw both batters climb significantly in the rankings.
Babar Azam, who played a crucial match-winning knock in the third T20I, jumped nine places to 30th with 563 points.

Saim Ayub, on the other hand, surged ten spots to 39th after his blistering unbeaten 71 in the second match that helped Pakistan level the series.

Opener Sahibzada Farhan held firm at 11th place, while captain Salman Ali Agha climbed 10 spots to 54th.

However, Fakhar Zaman slipped four places to 63rd, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, who did not feature in the series, dropped two positions to 42nd.

India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the T20I batting charts, with England’s Phil Salt and India’s Tilak Varma rounding out the top three.

In the bowlers’ rankings, Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed maintained his stronghold at eighth, while Shaheen Afridi rose three places to 13th after consistent performances with the new ball.

Pacer Salman Mirza emerged as one of the biggest movers, leaping 98 places to 45th following his fiery spell in the second T20I. Faheem Ashraf also made significant progress, climbing 50 spots to 51st.

Among others, spinner Mohammad Nawaz edged up to 32nd, Sufiyan Muqeem fell to 23rd, and Haris Rauf slipped three places to 37th.

The all-rounders’ table saw mixed fortunes for Pakistan players.

Mohammad Nawaz dropped four spots to 10th, while Faheem Ashraf jumped eight places to 30th. Shaheen Afridi fell to 56th, but Salman Ali Agha continued his upward momentum, moving to 63rd.

Saim Ayub retained his position as the world’s No.1 T20I all-rounder, ahead of Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and West Indies’ Roston Chase, who moved to second and third respectively.