After a massively successful T20I series against Australia, the Pakistani team, or rather their players seem to have taken giant strides in the latest ICC rankings that were released on Wednesday. Starting with the bowling list, Abrar Ahmed, who picked up six wickets in the AUS series, has risen to the 2nd spot, and is just behind India’s Varun Chakravarthy.
Saim Ayub & Abrar Ahmed rise in T20I rankings
The Pakistani youngster is on 748 points, his highest ever in the format. Fortunately for them, even Mohammad Nawaz rose quite substantially in the rankings, and is placed at no. 7 now. Pace has been a bit of a concern for them, but Shaheen Shah Afridi is back in top 20 (19th).
Meanwhile, despite batting well in the series, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha did not make it to top 20 still. Their best-placed batter is Sahibzada Farhan at no. 7, who struggled for runs vs AUS. The rankings are topped by Abhishek Sharma, who continues to wreak havoc on the opposition.
Indian team miles ahead
But what can be a good news for the Pakistani team is, Saim has regained his top spot in the all-rounder rankings. He surpassed Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza by just one point. Hardik Pandya is the best-placed Indian in the category at no. 3. As far as the team rankings is concerned, India tops the charts with 273 points, while Pakistan is at 238.
Now, the T20 World Cup is around the corner, and the matches will start on Feb 7. India vs Pakistan is scheduled to happen on Feb 15, but there is no clarity if the team two will actually play against each other, after a decision from the government of Pakistan. ICC has also stepped in.
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