Pakistani skipper Muhammad Rizwan has made a significant leap in the latest ICC T20I rankings, moving up two spots to claim the sixth position. Meanwhile, Babar Azam has dropped two places, slipping to seventh.
Rizwan’s rise comes on the back of a stellar performance in the first T20I against South Africa, where he scored a crucial 74 runs. This effort earned him 713 rating points, helping him climb from eighth to sixth. On the other hand, Babar’s fall in the rankings was influenced by his dismissal for a duck in the same match, leaving him with 710 rating points.
Aside from Rizwan and Babar Azam, no other Pakistan batter is currently ranked in the top 50 of the ICC T20I rankings. The list continues to be led by Australia’s Travis Head, who holds the top spot with 855 rating points, followed by England’s Phil Salt and India’s Tilak Varma in second and third, respectively.
| Position | Team | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | Travis Head | 855 |
| 2 | England | Phil Salt | 829 |
| 3 | India | Tilak Varma | 806 |
| 4 | India | Suryakumar Yadav | 788 |
| 5 | England | Jos Buttler | 717 |
| 6 | Pakistan | Muhammad Rizwan | 713 |
| 7 | Pakistan | Babar Azam | 710 |
| 8 | India | Yashasvi Jaiswal | 706 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | Pathum Nissanka | 672 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 636 |
While Rizwan’s rise is a positive development for Pakistan, Babar’s dip highlights the challenges faced by the team’s batting lineup. With no other Pakistani batter in the top 50, the team will be looking to improve its overall performance in the T20I format.