LAHORE: In the recent update of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 players rankings, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has climbed one position, while his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan has maintained his second place.
The duo will have a chance to reduce the gap with India’s Suryakumar Yadav, who currently holds the top position, as they gear up for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, commencing on April 14 in Lahore.
As per the ICC, Babar has moved to third place on the rankings list, and he will get an additional opportunity to improve his rating points during the upcoming matches against New Zealand. Despite Suryakumar’s dominant position at the top with 906 rating points, Babar and Rizwan could potentially make gains while Suryakumar is busy playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Interestingly, Babar’s rise to third place was facilitated by Devon Conway’s absence from New Zealand’s series against Sri Lanka. Conway is also playing in the IPL for the Chennai Super Kings.
However, none of the Pakistani bowlers feature in the top 10 of the ICC bowler’s rankings for T20Is. The highest-ranked Pakistani player is all-rounder Shadab Khan, who holds 12th place. Shadab is also the sole Pakistani player in the top 10 of the all-rounder’s rankings for T20Is, holding the fourth position.
