Amid growing concern over Pakistan’s performance at the ongoing Asia Cup, the latest ICC T20I rankings have brought a much-needed morale boost for fans — with multiple Pakistani players making significant gains and young all-rounder Saim Ayub achieving a career-best milestone.
The latest rankings show marked improvement across several areas for Pakistan, particularly in the all-rounder and spin bowling departments. Leading the way is Saim Ayub, who has officially broken into the top five of the ICC T20I all-rounders rankings, now tied at fifth place with 196 points. The 23-year-old, often touted as one of the brightest young prospects in Pakistan cricket, has demonstrated his dual-threat value by emerging as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup — despite a quieter series with the bat.
ICC T20I All-Rounders Rankings (Top 5)
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Hardik Pandya (India) – 237 pts
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Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) – 213 pts
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Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) – 210 pts
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Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal) – 209 pts
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Saim Ayub (Pakistan) & Roston Chase (West Indies) – 196 pts
Other Notable Pakistani Climbers
The rankings update also brought encouraging news for Pakistan’s bowling unit. Sufiyan Muqeem continued his upward trend, now ranking 11th among T20I bowlers, while Abrar Ahmed surged 11 spots to 16th place, reflecting their strong performances in recent matches.
However, not all news was positive. Key pacers saw minor drops — Shaheen Shah Afridi slipped to 27th, Mohammad Nawaz to 33rd, and Haris Rauf to 37th — likely due to recent underwhelming spells.
ICC T20I Bowlers Rankings (Top 5)
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Varun Chakaravarthy (India) – 733 pts
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Jacob Duffy (New Zealand) – 717 pts
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Akeal Hosein (West Indies) – 707 pts
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Adam Zampa (Australia) – 700 pts
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Adil Rashid (England) – 696 pts
Mixed Fortunes for Batters
In the batting rankings, Sahibzada Farhan was the biggest gainer among Pakistan’s batters, jumping 18 places to 55th, while Mohammad Haris broke into the top 100, now ranked 89th after climbing 22 spots.
However, inconsistent performances at the Asia Cup caused several key names to slide. Hassan Nawaz (47), Salman Ali Agha (67), and Fakhar Zaman (69) all fell in the rankings due to lack of impactful innings.
ICC T20I Batters Rankings (Top 5)
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Abhishek Sharma (India) – 884 pts
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Phil Salt (England) – 838 pts
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Jos Buttler (England) – 794 pts
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Tilak Varma (India) – 792 pts
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Travis Head (Australia) – 771 pts
A Glimmer of Hope for Pakistan Cricket
Saim Ayub’s rise is more than a personal accomplishment — it symbolizes the emergence of the kind of versatile talent Pakistan has been missing. His ability to contribute both with bat and ball could serve as a cornerstone for the team’s T20 strategy moving forward. If the squad can rally around such promising players and address consistency issues, there remains hope for a brighter, more competitive future in Pakistan’s T20 setup — despite current tournament setbacks.
