ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan cricket players dropped in the latest ICC T20I rankings after their losses in the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand with New Zealand’s Seifert and Allen making huge jumps.
New Zealand’s 2-0 lead in the series caused Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi falling six places in the ranking with Babar Azam dropping to 8th place.
Pakistan suffered two consecutive defeats in the T20Is at the hands of New Zealanders and experienced notable declines in the rankings.
Babar Azam, Pakistan’s former captain and also currently absent from the T20I squad, has slipped one position to eighth place with 702 points.
White-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan, however, maintained his ninth position in the batting rankings, while young talent Saim Ayub has dropped three spots to 62nd with 473 points.
Black Caps standing in global rankings
The Black Caps‘ lead in the ongoing series has up their players’ standing in the global rankings.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert has made the most impressive gain, climbing 20 spots to reach 13th position after impressive innings of 44 and 45 runs.
Opening batsman Finn Allen has also jumped eight spots to sit on 18th position following contributions of 29* and 38.
It is worth noting that Australia’s Travis Head continues to maintaining his position at the top of the T20I batting rankings.
India’s Abhishek Sharma and England’s Phil Salt are next to Head in the rankings.
Pakistan’s bowling department has also witnessed significant decline in the rankings. Pacer Shaheen Afridi has descended six places to 29th with 575 points after poor performances in the series.
In contrast, pace bowler Haris Rauf has gained four positions to reach 26th with 586 points as he claimed two wickets in the second T20I of the ongoing series.
Other Pakistan bowlers have also seen ranking changes. Abbas Afridi has descended three places to 44th, while Naseem Shah has slipped two positions to 78th.
All-rounder and vice-captain Shadab Khan has suffered the most significant decline, dropping ten places to 82nd.
New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy achieved a career-high ranking as he moved up 23 places to 12th overall.
His remarkable haul of six wickets in the first two matches has been instrumental in New Zealand’s wins.
The remaining three matches of the series will provide Pakistan players with an opportunity to improve their rankings.
