LAHORE (Kashmir English): Pakistan’s star spinner Abrar Ahmed on Wednesday achieved the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20I bowling rankings for the first time in his career, surpassing Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Abrar Ahmed’s outstanding performance has earned him the top position in the latest world rankings for the T20 format.
He is also ranked second in the ODI bowling rankings, while Rashid holds the top spot in that format, with 39 rating points separating the two.
The 28-year-old, who has featured in 10 Tests, 19 ODIs and 38 T20Is to date, has 133 international wickets to his name.
The right-arm mystery spinner has shown consistent performance in T20Is this year, taking 15 wickets in 9 matches.
His 15 wickets included 6 in three matches at home against Australia, as Pakistan completed a 3-0 clean sweep in the series in January/February this year.
“Very proud to become the world no. 1 bowler representing Pakistan” 🇵🇰🥇
Abrar Ahmed reflects on reaching the top of the ICC T20I bowling rankings, the work behind his rise and his next target 💫#PakistanCricket | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/KzNr6NBt4k
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 23, 2026
“Abrar made his Test debut in December 2022 against England, while his ODI debut came against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in November 2024. He made his T20I debut against New Zealand in Rawalpindi in April 2024,” the PCB said in a statement.
It should be noted that Abrar is the fifth bowler from Pakistan to become number one in the T20I bowling rankings. Before him, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Imad Wasim and Shahid Afridi have achieved this honor.
Abrar Ahmed is currently part of the Pakistan squad that will feature in the Asian Games in Japan. The squad is taking part in a four-day training session in Karachi, which will conclude on Thursday.
On becoming the world number one, Abrar Ahmed says that after getting the opportunity to represent Pakistan, the next dream is to become world number one.
“I feel very proud to become the world number one bowler while representing Pakistan. I will continue working hard to achieve more success and win more matches for Pakistan,” he said.
The national spinner said that hard work and consistency have brought about significant improvement in his bowling. He termed the success as the result of his hard work and performance and expressed his determination to continue his good performance in the future.
Abrar Ahmed said that his goal now is to perform well in the Asian Games and win a gold medal for Pakistan.
