Dubai (UAE): In the latest update of the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings, Axar Patel's stellar performances in the series against Afghanistan have propelled him to a career-best fifth position among bowlers. Patel's impressive figures of two for 23 and two for 16 in India's consecutive six-wicket victories over Afghanistan have also elevated him two places to the 16th spot among all-rounders. The rankings, updated weekly, took into account all matches completed till Tuesday.
Yashaswi Jaiswal, the dynamic opener, exhibited his prowess with a 34-ball 68 in the first T20I in Indore, resulting in a significant jump of seven places to a career-best sixth position. Shivam Dube, the left-hander, demonstrated consistency with unbeaten knocks of 60 and 63, propelling him from 265th to 58th place, according to the ICC.
Finn Allen of New Zealand showcased his batting prowess with innings of 34 off 15 balls and 74 off 41 balls in the first two matches against Pakistan. This performance catapulted him 11 places to 16th among batters, while his teammate Tim Southee, who claimed six wickets in the same matches, rose eight places to 18th in the bowlers' list.
Other notable movers from India include Shubman Gill (up seven places to 60th among batters), Tilak Verma (up three places to joint-61st among batters), and Arshdeep Singh (up four places to 21st among bowlers). Among Afghanistan players, Najibullah Zadran (up one place to 46th) and Mohammad Nabi (up two places to 54th) saw positive shifts in the batting rankings.
Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam ascended one place to fourth after scoring consecutive half-centuries against New Zealand. Fakhar Zaman made a noteworthy leap of 14 places to 81st. Daryll Mitchell (up nine places to 37th) and Kane Williamson (up 13 places to 59th) were the Kiwi batters who made significant strides.
In the bowling rankings, Sri Lanka spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana jointly secured the third position after moving up one and two places, respectively. Pakistan's Haris Rauf, with five wickets in two matches, climbed two places to joint-14th, while New Zealand's Adam Milne advanced from 66th to joint-47th position with six wickets in two matches.
—Input from Agencies