ICC T20I raking: Mohammad Rizwan takes Babar Azam’s position.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan finally ended his captain’s more than 1,000-day streak of holding the top spot in the T20I rankings.
After his unwavering performance at the ongoing Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, Rizwan has garnered 815 points, up 19 points, in the most recent rankings posted on the ICC website.
Rizwan is the top run-scorer in the Asia Cup so far with 192 runs, including two fifties in three matches. The Pakistan opener hit the fifties against Hong Kong and India, and also made 43 in the first game against India in the tournament.
Babar — who is now a number below Rizwan — had been holding the number 1 spot for 1,155 days in his career (as of 7 September), but his long-lasting reign ended after an ordinary streak of scores during the Asia Cup.
Aiden Markram of South Africa has moved up to position three with 775 points, and Suryakumar Yadav of India has fallen to position four. Suryakumar had a chance to be the top batter but was unable to deliver, unlike Rizwan.
As Pakistan plays several critical games in the next weeks to ensure their spot in the tournament final, Rizwan will need to continue to perform well to maintain his position.
Today’s match between Pakistan and Afghanistan will serve as the fourth contest in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2022. Pakistan destroyed India in their first Super 4 game, while Afghanistan was defeated by Sri Lanka.
If Afghanistan suffers one more setback, it will effectively conclude its Asia Cup campaign, while Pakistan would secure the last available spot for the Asia Cup 2022 with a victory.
If Pakistan beats Afghanistan on Wednesday (Today), Sri Lanka and Pakistan will play the final on Sunday.