Abrar Ahmed enters ICC T20I top five for first time

Pakistan’s spinner Abrar Ahmed has entered the top five of the ICC Men’s T20I bowler rankings for the first time, following his strong performances in the ongoing ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025.

Abrar, who played a key role in Pakistan’s Super Four victory against Sri Lanka, jumped 12 places in the updated rankings to secure his career-best position. He now joins the elite group of top-ranked T20I bowlers, where India’s Varun Chakaravarthy, New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy, and West Indies’ Akeal Hosein currently occupy the top three spots.

In batting, Sahibzada Farhan made significant progress, climbing 31 places to reach 24th after scoring a vital 58 runs in Pakistan’s clash against India. Captain Salman Ali Agha and opener Fakhar Zaman also gained three places each, moving to 64th and 66th respectively.

However, senior players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan continued to slip, with Babar falling to 35th and Rizwan to 38th, having not featured in T20 internationals since 2024. Struggling opener Saim Ayub dropped to 55th, while Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris also slid down the rankings.

Among bowlers, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf improved to 25th and 28th positions respectively, while Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Nawaz, and Abbas Afridi faced declines.

In the all-rounders’ category, Saim Ayub retained fifth place with 201 points, as Mohammad Nawaz rose to 17th. Shadab Khan dropped to 35th, while Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, and Salman Ali Agha all recorded upward movement. India’s Hardik Pandya leads the chart, followed by Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza.