Babar Azam claims top T20I batting rank

Monitoring Desk

KARACHI: After their emphatic series win against the West Indies, Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam while bowler Shadab Khan is now second in the T20I team rankings.

Babar has claimed the number one rank in batting, whereas spinner Shadab swings to second position in a career-first in the ICC T20I Player Rankings.

Babar was in superb form during as he scored 17, 97 not out and 51 in the 3-0 series win against West Indies. He was declared player of the series for consistency and was rewarded with a two-place jump in the rankings, making him the top-ranked batsman in T20Is for the second time in a span of 10 weeks.

Shadab Khan, on the other hand, jumped 10 places to take second spot in the bowling charts following his five wickets in the series. Shadab garnered 125 points for the recently concluded series, giving him a 26 points edge over Afghanistan wrist spinner Rashid Khan, who is just 14 days older than Shadab.

Pakistan fast-bowlers Muhammad Amir and Hasan Ali are also on the charge in the latest rankings. Amir has moved 15 places to 12th, while Hasan has jumped 10 places to a career-high 30th position. Further, Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz is the biggest mover in the latest rankings.

The 24-year-old took four wickets in the series, which helped him rise 66 places to a career-high 53rd rank. Other bowlers to advance in their rankings include Kesrick Williams (57th, up by seven places), Faheem Ashraf (68th, up by 24 places) and Shoaib Malik (82nd, up by five places).

Shoaib Malik is Pakistan’s highest-ranked all-rounder, in ninth position, after moving up two places. Windies’ Marlon Samuels has slipped one place to fifth. In the meantime, Pakistan have gained a four-point advantage over second-ranked Australia following the 3-0 win. Windies, in contrast, have dropped from fifth to seven after losing four points.