Babar Azam drops out from ICC T20I top 10 list after eight-year run

For the first time in eight years, the ICC Men’s T20I top 10 rankings no longer include Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam, who has been placed at No. 12 after slipping three spots.

The new captain, Salman Agh, dropped both the right-handed batter and teammate Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan’s T20I squad earlier this year. Now, Babar Azam ranks just ahead of Rizwan.

Babar Azam last appeared in a T20I match in Janu, scoring three consecutive fifties against South Africa before getting out for single figures in his first three innings against the West Indies.

In the recently concluded Pakistan Super League, he scored 288 runs, maintained an average of 36.00, hit three half-centuries, and achieved a strike rate of 128.57.

Meanwhile, senior batters Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan experienced declines. Fakhar Zaman dropped 10 places to 87th with 406 points, while Rizwan slipped one spot to 13th.

Pakistan’s dominant 3-0 T20I series whitewash against Bangladesh positively impacted the latest ICC T20I rankings.

Explosive opener Mohammad Haris made the biggest leap by jumping an astonishing 210 places to reach 30th in the batting rankings with 580 rating points.

In the final match of the series, Haris registered the second-fastest T20I century by a Pakistani batter, showcasing his destructive potential.

Emerging middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz played a key role with the bat throughout the series and climbed 57 places to reach 45th with 540 points.

Returning youngster Saim Ayub made an impact in the third T20I and rose four places to 61st, now holding 485 points.

Captain Agha Salman contributed 90 runs across the three-match series and jumped 42 places to 75th with 430 points.

Abbas Afridi impressed with his bowling performances and climbed 18 places to 19th with 605 points.

Vice-captain Shadab Khan surged 24 places up the rankings to 59th, where he now ties with Abrar Ahmed, who jumped an impressive 45 places.

Conversely, bowlers Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi dropped in the rankings, falling to 94th, 83rd, 19th, and 36th positions, respectively.

New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy holds the top spot in the bowling rankings, with West Indies’ Akeal Hosein in second and India’s Varun Chakaravarthy in third place.