Suryakumar Yadav surpasses Babar Azam to take third place in the ICC T20I rankings
Suryakumar Yadav, the dynamic India limited-overs batsman who just surpassed Pakistan captain Babar Azam in the most recent ICC Men’s Player Rankings, has maintained his recent push to become the world’s best T20I batter.
Suryakumar scored 46 for India in the first game of their three-game series against Australia on Tuesday in Mohali, bringing him up to third position in the T20I batter standings with 780 points.
Big gains for India's star performers from the first #INDvAUS T20I in the latest update of the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings 📈
— ICC (@ICC) September 21, 2022
Aiden Markram of South Africa and Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan (825 points) are the only players ahead of the Indian (792). Pakistan’s No. 1 T20I batter, Rizwan, hit 50 runs in Tuesday’s defeat against England in Karachi.
Rizwan made a half-century in Pakistan’s defeat against England in Karachi on Tuesday, and his career-high total of 825 rating points keeps him at the top of the standings. However, South Africa’s Aiden Markram (792 rating points) and Yadav (780) are within striking distance and will have the opportunity to challenge for the top spot with the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia starting in less than a month. Babar dips to fourth in the new rankings after a below-par Asia Cup and a return of 31 against England in their series opener, while England’s Dawid Malan (725) and Australia’s Aaron Finch (715) complete out a magnificent top six.
A slew of Indian and Australian players advanced significantly in the recent T20I rankings, while individuals from England and Pakistan also caught the eye. Following his brilliant 71 not out against the Aussies, India’s explosive talent Hardik Pandya soared up 22 ranks to 65th overall on the batter rankings, while teammate Axar Patel zoomed up 24 spaces to 33rd on the bowling rankings.
Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings: Consistent seamer Josh Hazlewood retains his No. 1 ranking, and the right-armer demonstrated his brilliance by taking vital wickets of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in that high-scoring match. Following a two-wicket haul against Pakistan, England spinner Adil Rashid remains third, trailing Hazlewood and second-placed Tabraiz Shamsi, while returning veteran Alex Hales re-enters the T20I batter rankings after a three-year absence. After a great performance against England, Pakistan fast Haris Rauf climbs up four ranks to 21st on the newest ranking of T20I bowlers, while teammate Mohammad Nawaz moves up three spots to 31st.
