Rashid Khan claims top spot as world’s No. 1 T20I bowler

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has reclaimed his spot as the world’s No. 1 T20I bowler, displacing Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga. This comes after his sensational performance in the recent T20I series between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rashid Khan played a pivotal role in Afghanistan’s historic 2-1 series win against Pakistan, taking three wickets at less than a run a ball.

Rashid Khan is known for his exceptional spin bowling skills and has been a key player in the Afghanistan cricket team. He has also played for various other teams in different T20 leagues around the world, including the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League, and the Big Bash League.

Rashid Khan has been a consistent performer in T20 cricket, and his recent achievement is a testament to his skills and dedication towards the sport. He first rose to the top of the T20I bowling rankings in February 2018 and has been a mainstay in the top ten ever since.

Rashid Khan’s success is not the only positive takeaway from the series. His teammate, Fazalhaq Farooqi, also made significant strides, climbing 12 places in the T20I Bowling Rankings to secure the third spot. Farooqi was the top wicket-taker for Afghanistan in the series, claiming five wickets and conceding just 4.75 runs to the over across the three matches.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman also made a noteworthy move, rising from the 10th spot to the eighth spot in the T20I bowling rankings after taking two-fors in the first and third games.

The series was also a good one for Pakistan’s stand-in captain Shadab Khan, who led the team in place of the rested Babar Azam. Khan moved up eight spots to secure the fourth spot on the T20I all-rounder rankings after finishing as the series’ third-highest run-scorer and joint-fourth-highest wicket-taker.

In the ODI rankings, Australian spinner Adam Zampa achieved a career-best sixth position after his match-winning four-wicket haul in the third game against India in Chennai. His teammate, Mitchell Marsh, bagged the 51st spot after being named the ‘Player of the Series.’

India’s Rohit Sharma jumped one place to secure the eighth spot among batters, while Hardik Pandya saw a hike of ten places among bowlers in the recently updated ICC rankings.

The rankings also saw advances from Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal (20th), Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus (36th), and USA player Aaron Jones (49th) in the ODI rankings.

Overall, the latest ICC rankings reflect the impressive performances of several players across different T20I and ODI series. The rankings are a measure of consistency, skill, and overall performance, and the players who have made strides in the rankings have undoubtedly worked hard to earn their positions.

As cricket continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these rankings change over time and which players will rise to the top in the future. Rashid Khan along with the other athletes who have succeeded in their current franchises can now be happy with their successes and use them as inspiration to keep getting better and winning even more in the future.