ICC Rankings: Surya slips to No. 2 in T20I batting list, Rizwan reclaims top spot

Dubai: In-form India batter Suryakumar Yadav lost his top position in the ICC T20I list by a few ranking points to Mohammed Rizwan of Pakistan, who has regained his pole position in the latest standings published on Wednesday.

The difference between the two is a mere 16 ranking points with Rizwan reclaiming his top spot with 854 points and Surya in second spot with 838.

Surya continued his stunning rise in 2022 by finishing India’s recent T20I series at home against South Africa with two half centuries and as their leading run scorer with a total of 119 runs.

The 32-year-old Yadav should get the chance to claim top billing during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.

Rizwan finished the recent seven-match T20I series against England as the leading run scorer with an impressive haul of 316 runs, but the fact the keeper-batter was rested for the sixth game of the series and managed just one in the series decider in Lahore meant the right-hander lost valuable breathing space at the top of the rankings.

The race for the top spot is so tight that Surya could have even overtaken his Pakistan counterpart with a big score in the final match of India’s series against South Africa in Indore, but the right-hander was out for just eight.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam remained third on the latest T20I batter rankings and should not be discounted from re-claiming his place at the top, while a host of other batters from around the world made giant strides on the latest set of rankings.

India opener KL Rahul jumped seven spots to 14th on the updated list on the back of his 108 runs from two matches against the Proteas, while South Africa trio of Quinton de Kock (up eight spots to 12th), Rilee Rossouw (up 23 places to 20th) and David Miller (up 10 spots to 29th) were also eye-catching movers.

Reliable top-order performer Dawid Malan rose one spot to fifth after a consistent series for England against Pakistan, with team-mate Ben Duckett (up eight spots to equal 24th) also on the upward movement.

While Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood maintained the top spot on the updated list for T20I bowlers, there was some re-shuffling behind him following the completion of two recent series in India and Pakistan.

Spin duo Tabraiz Shamsi of South Africa and England’s Adil Rashid each dropped three spots inside the top 10, with Afghanistan ace Rashid Khan (second), Sri Lanka star Wanindu Hasaranga (third) and Australia veteran Adam Zampa (fourth) all jumping two places each as a result.

The spin-dominated top 10 has a new entrant, with South Africa tweaker Keshav Maharaj jumping seven spots to 10th overall following an impressive series against India that netted the 32-year-old four wickets at an economy rate just greater than seven.

India veteran Ravichandran Ashwin jumped a whopping 28 places to 20th overall, while England seamer Reece Topley improved nine spots to 14th following five wickets from four matches against Pakistan.

There was a minimal change inside the top 10 on the latest list for all-rounders, with the flamboyant Hardik Pandya dropping one spot to fifth overall as Afghanistan veteran Mohammad Nabi maintained his place at the top.