DUBAI: Pakistan’s T20I captain Sahibzada Farhan has climbed to second place in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, strengthening his position among the world’s leading short-format batters as several of his teammates struggle to maintain their standings.
The updated rankings, released on Wednesday in Dubai, saw Farhan rise one spot to second with 883 rating points. His improvement came as India’s Ishan Kishan dropped two places to third following relatively modest performances in recent T20I matches against New Zealand and the West Indies.
India’s Abhishek Sharma claimed the top position after delivering a century in the third T20I against New Zealand, overtaking Kishan to lead the global batting rankings.
Farhan’s rise marks a significant achievement for Pakistan, with the opening batter establishing himself among the elite performers in international T20 cricket.
Pakistan Batters Face Mixed Fortunes
While Farhan moved closer to the top, several other Pakistan batters experienced declines in the latest rankings.
Saim Ayub dropped one place to 43rd with 550 rating points, while Maaz Sadaqat slipped two positions to 46th with 533 points.
Former Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam also lost one spot, falling to 48th as his downward movement in the T20I batting rankings continued.
Hasan Nawaz dropped to 51st, while all-rounder Salman Ali Agha slipped to 55th. However, experienced left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman recorded a modest improvement, climbing two places to 79th.
Abrar Ahmed Holds Firm in Bowling Rankings
Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed maintained his joint-third position in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, sharing the spot with England leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Both bowlers have 695 rating points.
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan retained the top position, while Australia’s Adam Zampa remained second.
Elsewhere, Pakistan pacer Salman Mirza slipped one place to 14th with 635 points. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz held 16th position with 626 points.
Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi made progress, climbing one place to 39th with 572 rating points. Sufiyan Muqeem retained his position with 532 points, while Saim Ayub dropped one place to 54th in the bowling rankings.
Saim Ayub Retains All-Rounder Second Spot
Despite slipping in both batting and bowling, Saim Ayub retained second place in the ICC Men’s T20I All-Rounder Rankings.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza continued to lead the category, while West Indies all-rounder Roston Chase occupied third position.
With Farhan closing in on the top-ranked batter and Abrar maintaining his place among the leading bowlers, Pakistan will hope its key performers can sustain their momentum in upcoming international assignments.
