Abrar Ahmed Becomes World No. 1 T20I Bowler in ICC Rankings
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed has reached the top of the ICC Men’s T20I bowling rankings, becoming the fifth Pakistani bowler to achieve the No. 1 position.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed the development on Wednesday. Abrar moved one rating point ahead of Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, who had held the top position for around six months with 736 rating points.
Abrar has now joined an exclusive list of Pakistani bowlers who have previously topped the T20I bowling rankings, including Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Imad Wasim and Shahid Afridi.
Brook Climbs T20I Batting Rankings
England captain Harry Brook made significant progress in the T20I batting rankings, moving up five places to a career-best fourth position.
Brook played a key role in England’s recent series against Sri Lanka, scoring an unbeaten 114 in Southampton in the opening match. He finished the series with 170 runs as England completed a 3-0 victory and was named Player of the Series.
The England batter, who currently holds the No. 1 position in Test batting rankings, also climbed three places to 12th in the ODI batting rankings.
His England teammate Jos Buttler moved two places to fifth in the T20I batting rankings after scoring 172 runs in the Sri Lanka series.
India captain Shreyas Iyer climbed seven places to joint-22nd, while England batter Tom Banton made a 30-place jump to 60th.
Changes in T20I Bowling Rankings
England’s Jamie Overton recorded the biggest improvement among T20I bowlers, rising 47 places to a career-best sixth position after taking five wickets against Sri Lanka.
England’s Liam Dawson climbed 12 places to 11th, while India’s Axar Patel moved up to 15th and Ravi Bishnoi rose five places to 35th.
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai moved three places to 49th, while England’s Will Jacks reached 58th among T20I bowlers and third in the all-rounders’ rankings.
Updates in ODI Rankings
In the ODI rankings, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza climbed five places to 24th after scoring 45 and an unbeaten 81 in the final two matches of his team’s three-game series against Australia.
Australia fast bowler Nathan Ellis moved three places to a career-best 17th after claiming nine wickets during the series.
Sri Lanka pacer Asitha Fernando also improved his position, moving from 39th to 30th following his three-wicket performance against England.
