Suryakumar Yadav overtakes Babar Azam to close in on top T20I ranking
Dubai, Sep 21, 2022, IANS
Charismatic India limited-overs batter Suryakumar Yadav has continued his recent push towards becoming the best T20I batter in the world after he overtook Pakistan skipper Babar Azam in the latest ICC Men's Player Rankings on Wednesday.
Suryakumar impressed with a fine 46 for India during their loss to Australia in Mohali in the opening match of their three-game series on Tuesday and it helped him move to third place with 780 points in the T20I batter rankings. The Indian is only behind Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan (825 points) and South Africa's Aiden Markram (792).
Rizwan, the No. 1 T20I batter, hit a half-century in Pakistan's loss to England in Karachi on Tuesday.
Babar dropped to fourth on the latest rankings following his below-par Asia Cup in the UAE and a return of 31 against England in the series opener in Karachi, while England's Dawid Malan (725) and Australia skipper Aaron Finch (715) round out a top six.
A host of India and Australia players made significant ground on the latest set of T20I rankings, while England and Pakistan players also caught the eye.
Explosive India star Hardik Pandya zoomed up 22 places to 65th overall on the batter rankings following his superb unbeaten 71 against the Aussies, while team-mate Axar Patel shot up 24 spots to 33rd on the list for bowlers after he collected three wickets during the same match.
Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood maintains his place as the No.1 ranked bowler and the right-armer displayed his prowess with the key wickets of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in that high-scoring showdown.
England spinner Adil Rashid stays in third behind Hazlewood and second-placed Tabraiz Shamsi following a two-wicket haul against Pakistan, while returning veteran opener Alex Hales re-enters the T20I batter rankings following a three-year hiatus from 20-over international cricket.
Pakistan quick Haris Rauf moves up four spots to 21st on the latest list for T20I bowlers after a strong showing against England, while team-mate Mohammad Nawaz jumps three places to 31st.