ICC T20I Rankings: Babar Azam reclaims top spot among batters
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, on Wednesday, climbed to top of the ICC men's T20I Batting Rankings. Babar moved up 14 points to get past Dawid Malan, who earlier held the top spot. On the other hand, Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga has scripted history by becoming the top-ranked T20I bowler. Among Indians, Jasprit Bumrah is the only one with notable gains in the ICC Rankings.
Babar has been among runs in the T20 WC
Babar has played a key role in Pakistan's success in the ongoing T20 World Cup. On Tuesday, he became the first-ever captain to register three 50+ scores in a single T20 WC edition. His 70-run knock laid the foundation of Pakistan's victory against Namibia. Babar scored 68* and 51 against India and Afghanistan respectively. The Pakistani skipper averages 66.00 in the tournament.
Babar climbs to top again
Babar has achieved the number one ranking in T20Is for the sixth time in his career. He is 36 points ahead of second-placed Malan. Interestingly, the former is the top-ranked batter in ODI cricket as well.
Jos Buttler achieves career-best ranking
Among others, England batter Jos Buttler has made significant gains. He has climbed to a career-best ninth position after registering a match-winning hundred against Sri Lanka. His compatriot Jason Roy gained five places to 14th spot. Meanwhile, Australian skipper Aaron Finch, who smashed 44 and 37 recently, has moved up three places to third. South Africa's David Miller and Temba Bavuma have also soared.
The new number one T20I bowler
Among bowlers, Hasaranga has climbed to the number one position in T20Is for the first time in his career. He leapfrogged Tabraiz Shamsi, who was the top-ranked bowler since April 10 this year. The former registered a couple of three-wicket hauls against South Africa and England recently. He also grabbed a historic hat-trick in the match against the Proteas.
First SL player to take hat-trick in the T20 WC
Hasaranga became the first SL player to claim a hat-trick in the T20 WC. He is the third to attain this feat after Brett Lee (2007) and Curtis Campher (2021). Hasaranga is also the fourth player to take a hat-trick in both ODIs and T20Is.
What about the Indian players?
As far as the Indian players are concerned, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah jumped 10 places to climb to 24th spot in the ICC T20I Bowling Rankings. He impressed with figures of 2/19 against New Zealand even though India lost the match. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma moved to 23rd spot among batters. Indian captain Virat Kohli remains on the fifth spot.
