Rashid Khan becomes No.1 T20I bowler after series win over Pakistan

DUBAI: Afghanistan captain and spinner Rashid Khan climbed to the top of the ICC T20I bowling rankings on Wednesday following his side’s maiden series victory against Pakistan.

Afghanistan had beaten Pakistan for the first time in a bilateral T20I series as they claimed the recently-concluded three-match series by 2-1.

A host of Afghanistan players got a boost in their T20I rankings including skipper Rashid Khan, who overtook Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga to become the No.1-ranked T20I bowler in the world for the second time.

The leg spinner rose to the top of the T20I bowlers chart for the first time in 2018 and has been a consistent performer in the shortest format of the game ever since.

According to the latest ICC rankings update, Rashid bagged the top position with 710 rating points, 15 points clear of second-ranked Hasaranga.

“The right-armer collected a wicket in each of the three matches against Pakistan in Sharjah, with his miserly economy rate in both of Afghanistan’s victories during the first two games of the series a standout,” said ICC in a media release.

Meanwhile, Rashid’s teammate Fazalhaq Farooqi leapfrogged staggering 12 spots to third overall on the latest rankings update. The left-arm pacer starred with a total of five wickets and an economy rate of just 4.75 during the series.

“It means Afghanistan now have three players inside the top 10 of the T20I category for bowlers, with spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman rounding out the talented trio in eighth spot following his four wickets for the series against Pakistan,” added ICC statement.

On the other hand, Pakistan stand-in skipper Shadab Khan was also duly rewarded for his impressive bowling in the three games. He jumped eight places to fourth on the T20I all-rounder rankings and improved six spots to 12th overall on the list for bowlers.

Meanwhile, Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam, who was rested for the three T20Is, dropped one place to fourth on the T20I batter’s ranking as a result.

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