After a brilliant performance in the T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and Namibia, Pakistan captain Babar Azam regained the top spot in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings on Wednesday.
In the ongoing ICC competition, Azam’s two consecutive half-centuries (and three in four matches) have helped him surpass England’s Dawid Malan and take over the top spot for batsmen.
Babar is at the top of the rankings for the sixth time in his career, having recently scored 51 against Afghanistan and 70 against Namibia to lead Pakistan into the semifinals.
Read more: Babar Azam overtakes Gayle, Kohli to fastest reach 7000 runs in T20 cricket
On January 28, 2018, the 27-year-old took over the top spot for the first time. In ODIs, he is currently ranked first.
Babar’s 834 rating points puts him 36 points ahead of Dawid Malan, while his career high is 896 rating points, which he set against England in Cardiff on May 5, 2019.
Since November 29 of last year, Malan has been at the top of the ICC rankings.
The success of England in the tournament is reflected in the rankings, with openers Jos Buttler and Jason Roy moving up in the most recent update.
After blasting a maiden T20I century against Sri Lanka, Buttler has climbed eight places to ninth rank, while Roy has climbed five spots to 14th.
Meanwhile, following two consecutive three-wicket hauls against South Africa and England, Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has topped the bowling charts for the first time in his career. He replaces Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa, who had been the leader since April 10 of this year.
The top four bowlers in the rankings are all wrist spinners, with Adil Rashid of England leapfrogging Rashid Khan of Afghanistan to grab third place with a career-high 730 rating points. Anrich Nortje of South Africa, a fast bowler who has risen 18 places to seventh place, is a fast bowler who has achieved rapid progress.
With 271 rating points, Mohammad Nabi has overtaken Shakib Al Hasan at the top of the all-rounders’ rankings. On this list, Hasaranga is ranked fourth.
