Sahibzada Farhan, Haris Climb in T20I Rankings; Babar, Rizwan Continue Slide

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday issued its latest T20I rankings, with Pakistani players experiencing a mix of rises and falls as performances from the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 began to reflect in the tables.

Opener Sahibzada Farhan surged 18 places to 55th, while wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris climbed 22 spots to 89th. However, former skippers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan — absent from Pakistan’s T20 side since December 2024 — slid further down the ladder, dropping to 26th and 33rd respectively.

Promising youngsters also lost ground: Saim Ayub fell five places to 46th and Hasan Nawaz slipped 12 places to 47th. Current T20I captain Salman Ali Agha dropped to 67th, while opener Fakhar Zaman slid to 69th.

At the top, India’s Abhishek Sharma consolidated his No.1 position among batters, followed by England’s Phil Salt and Jos Buttler in second and third, while India’s Tilak Varma dropped to fourth.

In the bowlers’ rankings, India’s Varun Chakravarthy displaced New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy to seize the No.1 spot, with West Indies’ Akeal Hosein steady at third in T20I Rankings.

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Among Pakistan’s bowlers, Sufiyan Muqeem rose four places to 11th with 656 points, and Abrar Ahmed leapt 11 spots to 16th. By contrast, senior pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi slipped to 27th, while Mohammad Nawaz and Haris Rauf dropped to 33rd and 37th respectively.

The latest update underscores Pakistan’s transitional phase in T20 cricket, with fresh names making strides even as seasoned campaigners continue to slide in the global rankings.