The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released its latest T20I rankings, bringing mixed fortunes for Pakistani cricketers, with some players making notable progress while others experienced a dip. The update also reflects the ongoing performances in the Asia Cup 2025.
Among the batters, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris achieved significant gains. Farhan surged 18 places to reach 55th, while Haris climbed 22 spots to 89th.
However, the rankings brought disappointment for former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, both of whom have been absent from the T20 side since 2024. Babar, once the world’s top-ranked T20I batter, slipped two spots to 26th, while Rizwan dropped five places to 33rd. The duo last featured for Pakistan in a T20I match against South Africa at Centurion in December 2024.
Other Pakistani batters also faced setbacks. Left-handed opener Saim Ayub fell five places to 46th, while Hasan Nawaz dropped 12 spots to 47th. Current captain Salman Ali Agha slipped 10 places to 67th, and opener Fakhar Zaman also went down to 69th.
At the top of the rankings, India’s Abhishek Sharma retained his number one position among T20I batters, followed by England’s Phil Salt and Jos Buttler in second and third places, respectively. India’s Tilak Varma fell to fourth after dropping two places.
In the bowling charts, Pakistan’s spinners provided a positive highlight. Sufiyan Muqeem rose four places to 11th with 656 points, while Abrar Ahmed made an impressive leap of 11 places to claim 16th spot.
However, other Pakistani bowlers slipped, with Shaheen Afridi falling five places to 27th, Mohammad Nawaz dropping to 33rd, and Haris Rauf sliding to 37th.
Meanwhile, India’s Varun Chakravarthy took the number one spot from New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, while West Indies’ Akeal Hosein retained third. The rankings reflect Pakistan’s shifting fortunes as younger talents emerge while senior players struggle to maintain their positions.
