After attaining the number 1 spot in ODI rankings recently, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has gained one place to grab the second spot among batsmen in the latest T20I rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday.
Babar has advanced 47 points to overtake Australia limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch, who was positioned in second place. The Karachi-lad is 48 points behind top-ranked Dawid Malan and can surpass him if he does well in the ongoing three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who recently lost the top spot in ODI to his Pakistan counterpart, has retained his fifth position in the T20I rankings. Just like Kohli, New Zealander Devon Conway has also maintained his fourth spot.
Apart from Babar, another major gainer amongst T20I batters is South Africa talent Rassie van der Dussen. The Proteas batting sensation has advanced three slots to the sixth position, just one short of his career-best fifth place.
Movement in the @MRFWorldwide ICC men's T20I Batting Rankings with @babarazam258 moving up to second 📈
Full list 👉 https://t.co/y6w2zMiR7l pic.twitter.com/XgbmVz5E7c
— ICC (@ICC) April 21, 2021
Fakhar Zaman has gained 17 slots to reach 33rd position, while wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, who smashed an unbeaten knock of 73 in the third match against South Africa, has progressed eight places to get a career-best 15th position.
Aiden Markram has moved up 31 places to occupy the 34th slot, and Janneman Malan has progressed 52 places to reach the 73rd place.
The rankings also consider the first four matches of the ongoing tri-series between Nepal, Netherlands, and Malaysia. Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane has advanced eight places to acquire the 77th position after taking eight wickets in three matches. Similarly, his captain Gyanendra Malla has moved up 10 places to reach 107th position among batters.
When it comes to the team rankings, Pakistan’s 3-1 win in the series against South Africa has put them in the fourth position. On the other hand, the Proteas are positioned at the sixth in the list led by the England cricket team with 272 rating points.
