DUBAI: Pakistan’s young batting all-rounder Saim Ayub has lost his status as the world’s top-ranked T20I all-rounder, dropping to second place in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings released on Wednesday.
The left-hander, who recently climbed to No. 1, endured a dip in form during the ongoing tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, which cost him crucial rating points.
Sikandar Raza climbs to No. 1
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has surged to the top of the all-rounder ladder, thanks to a string of impactful displays with both bat and ball.
Raza has been among the standout performers in the tri-series, scoring 141 runs in four innings at an average of 47 and a strike rate of 136.89. With the ball, he has claimed three wickets, taking his overall rating to 289 points, putting him ahead of Ayub.
Saim Ayub’s slump in performance
Ayub struggled to make an impression in the tri-series, managing only 55 runs in three innings, averaging 18.33 with a strike rate of 105.76. His bowling offered little support as well, with just one wicket in six overs.
He now sits in second place with 269 rating points.
Farhan breaks into top five of T20I batting rankings
While Ayub slipped, his opening partner Sahibzada Farhan enjoyed a major leap in the ICC batting charts.
With 159 runs in three matches, including two half-centuries and a strike rate of 157.42, Farhan has climbed eight spots to reach No. 4 in the world with 776 points.
Babar Azam improves; Rizwan slips
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam also made gains, rising five positions to 29th, courtesy of his 90 runs in the tri-series.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, who did not feature in the series, dropped five places to 46th.
Ayub remains unchanged at 37th in the batting rankings with 538 points.
Changes in bowling rankings
The ICC bowling rankings also saw notable movement for Pakistan:
- Abrar Ahmed retained his position at No. 8 (659 points).
- Mohammad Nawaz, who is joint-highest wicket-taker in the tri-series with seven wickets, jumped 14 spots to 13th (638 points).
- Shaheen Afridi fell four places to 18th.
- Sufiyan Muqeem dropped to 27th.
- Salman Mirza climbed five places to 38th, earning 532 points.
