Babar Azam and Saim Ayub have made significant strides in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after their impressive performances during Pakistan’s 2-1 series win over South Africa.
The latest rankings update, released on Wednesday, saw both batters climb the rankings with standout contributions. Babar Azam, who played a pivotal role with a match-winning half-century in the third T20I, moved up nine places to 30th, earning 563 points. Saim Ayub, following his explosive unbeaten 71 in the second match that leveled the series, surged ten spots to 39th.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan remained in 11th position, while captain Salman Ali Agha made a notable climb, rising 10 spots to 54th. However, Fakhar Zaman slipped four places to 63rd, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, who didn’t feature in the series, dropped two positions to 42nd.
On the bowlers’ side, Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed maintained his position at 8th, and Shaheen Afridi moved up three places to 13th after strong performances with the new ball. Pacer Salman Mirza emerged as one of the biggest movers, jumping 98 places to 45th following a fiery spell in the second T20I. Faheem Ashraf also made impressive progress, rising 50 spots to 51st.
Among other bowlers, Mohammad Nawaz climbed to 32nd, Sufiyan Muqeem fell to 23rd, and Haris Rauf slipped three places to 37th.
In the all-rounder rankings, Pakistan players had mixed fortunes. Mohammad Nawaz dropped four spots to 10th, while Faheem Ashraf climbed eight places to 30th. Shaheen Afridi dropped to 56th, but Salman Ali Agha continued his rise, moving to 63rd. Saim Ayub retained his position as the world’s top T20I all-rounder, ahead of Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and West Indies’ Roston Chase, who moved to second and third, respectively.
