DUBAI – Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed has extended his exceptional form in the United Arab Emirates with another impressive climb in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings.
After surging up 11 spots last week, the leg-spinner has made another significant leap of 12 places, positioning himself at No. 4 with 703 rating points, just a stone’s throw away from the top spot.
Abrar’s performance during Pakistan’s group stage match against the UAE was stellar, claiming two wickets for just 13 runs. However, he had a less-than-ideal outing against India, finishing with 1/42 in Pakistan’s loss. But the 25-year-old quickly bounced back with a brilliant spell of 1/8 against Sri Lanka, playing a crucial role in Pakistan’s victory, which revived their Asia Cup campaign.
While Abrar is closing in on the No. 1 spot, it won’t be an easy task, as India’s Varun Chakravarthy remains a formidable force in UAE conditions. Chakravarthy, despite going wicketless against Pakistan, delivered an economical performance, taking 0/25 and helping India control the scoring rate, which earned him a boost of 14 rating points.
Pakistan’s pace spearhead, Haris Rauf, has also made notable progress, rising nine spots to No. 28 in the rankings. India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya is another gainer, climbing six places to No. 60.
In the batting rankings, India’s opener Abhishek Sharma continues to hold the top spot, making significant strides after a blistering 38 against Oman and a match-winning 74 against Pakistan, which led India to victory. His teammate, Tilak Varma, who finished the chase with a rapid 30\* off 19 balls, rose to No. 3 in the rankings.
Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan made a dramatic jump, climbing 31 spots to No. 24 after his crucial 58 off 45 balls against India. Hussain Talat, who anchored Pakistan’s win over Sri Lanka with a composed knock, soared a remarkable 1,474 spots, entering the rankings at No. 234.
Bangladesh’s Saif Hassan also enjoyed a substantial rise, moving up 133 places to No. 81 following his vital 61 runs in Bangladesh’s Super Four victory in the Asia Cup.
All-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who has been instrumental with both bat and ball in the ongoing Asia Cup, made a significant gain, climbing 12 places to join the No. 39 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I All-rounder Rankings.
