ICC T20I Rankings, Wanindu Hasaranga reclaims top spot: Key stats
Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has displaced Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan as the top-ranked bowler in T20Is. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the same on Wednesday (February 22). Hasaranga has been sensational in the T20I format and his numbers are nothing but incredible. His last appearance in T20Is came last month against India. Here we look at Hasaranga's stellar stats.
Rashid's dips, Hasaranga's rise
Rashid could only manage four wickets in the recently-concluded three-match T20I series versus UAE, which Afghanistan won 2-1. The same saw the star spinner relinquish the top T20I bowler ranking to Hasaranga. The latter is now sitting pretty at the top with 695 rating points. Rashid (694) is now second in the rankings. Meanwhile, five of the seven top-ranked T20I bowlers are wrist spinners.
Hasaranga's sensational run in T20Is
Hasaranga, who made his T20I debut in 2019, has been exceptional in the format. He has so far scalped 89 wickets in 55 games at a stunning economy rate of 6.8. 4/9 reads his best figures in the format. Among Sri Lanka players, only Lasith Malinga (107) owns more T20I wickets. Meanwhile, Hasaranga also has 503 T20I runs under his belt.
Home, away, and neutral record
The spinner has 20 wickets at 16.90, 29 wickets at 18.44, and 40 wickets at 11.80, in home, away (opposition's home), and neutral venues respectively. Meanwhile, Hasaranga owns a couple of four-wicket hauls in the shortest international format.
His performance in 2022
Hasaranga was Sri Lanka's leading wicket-taker in T20Is last year with 34 scalps in 19 games at 15.67. Among full-member team bowlers, only Ireland's Joshua Little (39) and India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar (37) scalped more wickets. He conceded runs at 7.4 while his best figures (4/33) were recorded against Australia in June. The spinner also scored 154 runs with the willow.
Top-wicket taker in two T20 WCs
Besides Pakistan's Umar Gul, Hasaranga is the only bowler to finish as the leading wicket-taker in an ICC T20 World Cup edition twice. His tally of 16 wickets in eight games in the 2021 edition is the highest for any bowler in a T20 WC. In the 2022 event, he claimed 15 wickets in eight outings. He also owns a hat-trick in the competition.
