Babar Azam Nears Suryakumar Yadav in T20I Rankings After Positive Update
Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, is closing in on Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav in the ICC Men’s T20I Batter Rankings. This follows a stellar performance in Pakistan’s recent series against New Zealand.
Babar led Pakistan in scoring during the thrilling series, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He scored a half-century in the fifth T20I, finishing with a total of 125 runs from four innings at the top of Pakistan’s batting order.
#T20WorldCup 2024 is on the horizon, and both Pakistan and New Zealand are honing their skills. The series was a gripping preview of what’s to come. pic.twitter.com/Krb2TlJ5iW
Thanks to his performance, Babar moved up one spot to fourth in the updated T20I rankings for batters. He also increased his rating by 10 points to 763. Suryakumar is now just 98 rating points ahead of Babar, with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup just a month away.
Babar’s teammate, Fakhar Zaman, also made significant progress in the latest rankings update. The aggressive left-hander moved up 10 places to 62nd after scoring 104 runs in the series.
Men’s T20I Batter Rankings
New Zealand’s standout player was Tim Seifert. The seasoned right-hander moved up seven places to tie for seventh after scoring 85 runs in the series with a commendable strike rate of 144.06.
The updated T20I bowlers list also saw improvements for players from both Pakistan and New Zealand. Pakistan’s pace spearhead, Shaheen Afridi, moved up three places to tie for 14th after taking eight wickets in four matches against New Zealand.
Men’s T20I Bowler Rankings
New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell (up 13 spots to 55th) and Ben Sears (up 29 places to 60th) also climbed the T20I bowlers list. Pakistan’s Imad Wasim made the biggest leap in the T20I all-rounder rankings, moving up 10 spots to 22nd after a pair of solid performances against the Black Caps.