WEB DESK: At just 22 years old, Pakistan’s opening batter Saim Ayub has achieved a significant milestone by ascending to the top spot in the ICC T20 International all-rounder rankings, largely thanks to his impressive performance with the ball.
Despite experiencing some setbacks with his batting lately, Ayub’s contributions with the ball have propelled him past India’s Hardik Pandya, who has now fallen to second place. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi remains in third position with 231 rating points.
Other notable Pakistani players saw improvements: Mohammad Nawaz moved up four places to 13th with 166 points, while Faheem Ashraf also rose four spots to 35th with 100 points. Fast-bowler all-rounder Shaheen Afridi made a notable leap of 15 positions, climbing to 56th.
Conversely, some Pakistani players experienced declines in the rankings. Shadab Khan dropped one spot to 36th, captain Salman Agha slid to 72nd, Abbas Afridi fell three places to 79th, and Iftikhar Ahmed moved down two spots to 92nd.This achievement is a major boost for Ayub, who continues to establish himself as a versatile force in Pakistan’s T20 setup. In the recent ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, he claimed eight wickets in seven matches, maintaining an economy rate of 6.40.
In the latest ICC T20I batting rankings, Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan made a significant jump—climbing 11 places to 13th after a standout performance in the Asia Cup. Fakhar Zaman moved up six spots to 60th, while captain Salman Ali Agha advanced two places to 62nd. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris also improved, rising 11 spots to 79th with 431 points.
Meanwhile, the prominent pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who have been out of Pakistan’s T20I plans since 2024, saw their rankings decline: Babar dropped two places to 37th, Rizwan fell three spots to 41st. Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz also experienced downward movement, both falling three places to 57th and 61st, respectively.
On the top of the batting rankings, India’s Abhishek Sharma remains the number one T20I batter, with England’s Phil Salt in second, and India’s Tilak Varma in third.In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi advanced 12 spots to reach 13th place, tying with India’s Axar Patel at 635 points. Mohammad Nawaz moved up five positions to 41st, while Ayub made a remarkable leap of 51 spots to 58th with 482 points. Faheem Ashraf also made progress, jumping 26 places to 93rd with 418 points.
However, there were some declines among bowlers. Spinner Abrar Ahmed slipped three places to seventh, and Sufiyan Muqeem dropped three spots to 17th with 624 points. Haris Rauf fell five places to 33rd, and Abbas Afridi dropped six spots to 50th.India’s Varun Chakaravarthy continues to lead the ICC T20I bowler rankings, followed by New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy in second and Australia’s Adam Zampa in third.
