Pakistan players move up in T20I rankings

LAHORE-Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has attained the career-best 16th position, while veteran batsman Mohammad Hafeez and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan have also earned significant improvement in the latest T20 International rankings, issued by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the Pakistan-New Zealand T20I series.  Pakistan’s bowlers had more to cheer about, with Faheem Ashraf moving up 22 places to the 13th position while Shaheen Afridi gaining up 11 ranks to reach a career-best 16th position and Harif Rauf’s five wickets in the series helped him climb 42 places to reach the 67th position.  Seasoned batsman Muhammad Hafeez moved up 14 places to reach the 33rd position after his 140 runs, which included an unbeaten 99 in the second match while wicketkeeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan’s 158 runs, including a match-winning 89 in the final game, have lifted him 152 places to 158th position.

New Zealand opener Tim Seifert and fast bowler Tim Southee have also attained the career-best positions after playing important roles in a 2-1 series win over Pakistan. Seifert has advanced 24 slots to a career-best ninth position after a fine run in the home series saw him top the aggregate with 176 runs while Southee’s six wickets in the series have lifted him from 13th to the seventh position. Seifert, who was named player of the series with the high point being a career-best 84 not out off 63 balls in the second match in Hamilton, had a previous highest ranking of 32nd in August this year.

Southee’s six wickets, which included a haul of four for 21 in the second match, enabled him to better his previous best of 10th position accomplished in November last year. Southee has thus reached the top 10 in all three formats during his career, having career-bests of fourth in Tests and ninth in ODIs. 

Devon Conway (up 10 places to 62nd) and Glenn Phillips (up 15 places to a career-best 72nd) are the other New Zealand players to move up in the batting list while fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn has progressed from 134th to 92nd place after finishing with five wickets in the series. In the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, Pakistan have lost three points and New Zealand have gained three, but the two retain their fourth and sixth positions, respectively.