Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam is on the verge of slipping out of the top 10 in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I rankings released on Wednesday, March 19. While there haven’t been many major changes in the T20I rankings, New Zealand boosted their positions following a victory over Pakistan.
Pakistan selectors dropped Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam from the T20I squad following the team’s disappointing campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy. The Pakistan cricket team, led by Salman Agha, suffered heavy defeats in the first two matches of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
Babar Azam on the Verge of Dropping Out of the Top 10 in ICC T20I Rankings
Babar Azam has slipped one spot in the latest ICC T20I rankings, dropping from seventh to eighth place with 702 rating points. Meanwhile, Indian players continue to dominate the rankings, with three batters in the top five. Australian opener Travis Head has retained the top position in the T20I batting rankings.
Abhishek Sharma is in second place with 829 rating points. Tilak Varma and Team India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav are in fourth and fifth places, respectively. Yashasvi Jaiswal is placed 12th with 673 points. Meanwhile, there have been no changes in the top 10 of the ICC T20I bowling rankings.
New Zealand Players Make Significant Gains in Latest ICC T20I Rankings
New Zealand players have made significant gains in the T20I rankings following their dominant performances in the ongoing five-match series against Pakistan. With back-to-back wins, the Kiwis took a 2-0 lead. Key players Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, and Jacob Duffy have been rewarded in the rankings update.
Seifert, who has scored 89 runs in two matches at an impressive strike rate of 174.51, has climbed 20 places to reach 13th in the T20I batting rankings. Allen, who scored 67 runs at a blistering strike rate of 203.33, has jumped eight places to 18th.
In the bowling department, Duffy has been the biggest gainer. Duffy has climbed 23 places to secure 12th place in the T20I bowling rankings. He has taken six wickets in the first two matches, including a four-wicket haul in the series opener.
Shaheen Afridi Went Wicketless in First Two T20Is Against New Zealand
Shaheen Afridi has dropped six places to 29th in the latest ICC T20I rankings after failing to take a wicket in Pakistan’s first two matches against New Zealand. Haris Rauf has jumped up four places to 26th in the rankings after taking two wickets in the recent match against New Zealand in Dunedin.
Among bowlers, West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein holds the top spot with 707 rating points, while India’s Varun Chakravarthy is close behind in second place with 706 points.
The latest ICC ODI rankings have seen changes following recent matches in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 in Windhoek. Players from the Netherlands and Namibia have made gains in the updated rankings.
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