ICC T20I Rankings: Babar Azam jumps to fourth position to narrow gap with Suryakumar Yadav, Fakhar Zaman makes gain

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In a big boost to the Pakistan cricket team in the run-up to the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Babar Azam, has narrowed the gap on India's Suryakumar Yadav in the latest ICC Men's T20I Batter Rankings after a stellar performance in the recently concluded T20I series against New Zealand at home.

Babar, the Pakistan skipper, emerged as his team's top run-scorer in the closely fought-five match series, which ended in a 2-2 deadlock after the Men In Green equalised by winning the fifth and final game last week.

Babar Azam latest ICC T20I Rankings

The right-handed batting talisman from Pakistan showcased his prowess with a half-century in the fifth T20I, accumulating a total of 125 runs from four innings while opening the batting for his side.

His impressive performance saw Babar climb one spot to fourth in the updated list of T20I rankings for batters, boosting his rating by 10 points to 763. With Suryakumar now just 98 rating points ahead of him, the competition between the two batters intensifies with only one month remaining before the start of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Babar has a chance to narrow down the gap further or even surpass Suryakumar Yadav as he could be playing as many as seven more T20I games before the T20 World Cup, which starts on June 2.

Fakhar Zaman jumps to 10 places

Fakhar Zaman, Babar's teammate, also made significant strides in the latest rankings update, ascending 10 places to the 62nd position following his commendable contribution of 104 runs in the series against the Blackcaps.

Latest ICC T20I Rankings Top Gainers

Among the New Zealand players, Tim Seifert stood out, climbing seven places to jointly hold the seventh position after amassing 85 runs in the series at an impressive strike rate of 144.06.

The updated list for T20I bowlers witnessed a boost for both Pakistan and New Zealand players, with Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan's pace spearhead, rising three places to share the 14th position after claiming eight wickets in four matches against the Kiwis.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Michael Bracewell (up by 13 spots to 55th) and Ben Sears (up by 29 places to 60th) also made notable advancements in the T20I bowler rankings.

Furthermore, Pakistan's Imad Wasim emerged as the biggest mover in the T20I all-rounder rankings, ascending 10 positions to 22nd following his commendable performances against New Zealand.