ICC T20I Rankings: Saim Ayub becomes top-ranked all-rounder
What's the story
Pakistan's star cricketer Saim Ayub has climbed back to the top of the Men's ICC T20I Rankings for all-rounders. The 23-year-old cricketer dethroned Zimbabwe's veteran Sikandar Raza from the top position, thanks to his stellar performance in a recent series against Australia. The move comes just days ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where Pakistan will be looking to win their first title since 2009.
Performance review
Ayub's stellar performance against Australia
Ayub scored a total of 119 runs and took three wickets in the recently concluded series against Australia. His scores in the series read 40, 23, and 56. His all-round performance helped Pakistan complete a 3-0 whitewash over their rivals on home soil. Ayub (290) has a slender lead of a rating point over Raza (289) in the all-rounder rankings.
Bowling gains
Gains for other Pakistani players
Along with Ayub, two other Pakistani players have also made significant gains in the T20I rankings. Spinner Abrar Ahmed has moved up to second place among T20I bowlers after taking six wickets in three matches against Australia. Another spinner, Mohammad Nawaz, has improved eight spots to seventh place after a stellar five-wicket haul in the final match of the series. India's Varun Chakravarthy continues to lead the bowling rankings.
Player progress
Ishan Kishan among other notable movers
Nawaz has also moved up a place to fourth among T20I all-rounders. Other Pakistani players who have made progress in the batting rankings include Ayub, who moved eight spots to equal 27th, and Salman Ali Agha (gained 12 places to 29th. Indian batter Ishan Kishan, who recently slammed his maiden T20I ton, gained 32 places to reach the 32nd spot in the batting rankings.