LAHORE: For the first time in nearly a decade, former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has slipped out of the top 10 in the ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, falling three spots to No. 12 in the latest update.
Babar, who has been a regular feature in the top tier of T20I batters since 2016, was recently sidelined from Pakistan’s T20I squad amid changes under new captain Agha Salman. His last appearance in the format was earlier this year, when he hit a hat-trick of fifties against South Africa but followed up with a string of low scores against West Indies.
Despite a solid showing in the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL) — where he accumulated 288 runs at an average of 36.00 and a strike-rate of 128.57 — his absence from the national squad contributed to his rankings slide.
Fellow senior players Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman also dropped in the rankings. Rizwan now ranks 13th, while Fakhar fell 10 places to 87th with 406 points.
Young Stars Shine After Bangladesh Whitewash
Pakistan’s recent 3-0 T20I series sweep over Bangladesh has sparked a surge for several rising stars in the updated ICC rankings.
Mohammad Haris made the most notable jump, soaring 210 spots to 30th place following his blistering century in the third T20I — the second-fastest hundred by a Pakistani batter in T20Is.
Hasan Nawaz, another emerging talent, climbed 57 spots to 45th, while left-hander Saim Ayub rose four places to 61st after a solid outing in the final match of the series.
Captain Agha Salman moved up 42 positions to 75th, having contributed 90 runs across the three matches.
Bowling Rankings: Abbas Afridi Breaks into Top 20
In the bowling department, Abbas Afridi made a strong impression, leaping 18 places to 19th with 605 points.
Vice-captain Shadab Khan surged 24 spots to 59th, where he now sits alongside Abrar Ahmed, who himself enjoyed a significant 45-place rise.
However, several frontline bowlers experienced setbacks. Shaheen Afridi fell to 36th, Haris Rauf dropped to 19th, while Naseem Shah and Sufiyan Muqeem now rank 94th and 83rd, respectively.
Globally, New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy retained his No. 1 spot in the bowling rankings, followed by Akeal Hosein of the West Indies and India’s Varun Chakaravarthy.
