Sahibzada Farhan only Pakistani to rise in new ICC T20 rankings

DUBAI: India’s Varun Chakaravarthy has become the latest Indian cricketer to rise to the pinnacle of the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings, following a string of economical spells in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 34-year-old spinner climbed three spots to claim the No 1 position, becoming only the third Indian to top the T20I bowling rankings after fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Chakaravarthy’s climb was fueled by impressive figures of 1 for 4 in two overs against the UAE and 1 for 24 in four overs against Pakistan. This marks a personal milestone for the Tamil Nadu spinner, who had previously reached a career-best No. 2 ranking in February 2025.

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Chakaravarthy dethroned New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, who had held the top spot since March.

ASIA CUP PERFORMERS ON THE RISE

Several other bowlers participating in the Asia Cup have also surged in the latest weekly update of the ICC rankings. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara jumped six places to reach sixth, while Pakistan’s spin duo Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed made significant strides – Muqeem moved up four spots to 11th, and Abrar leaped 11 places to a career-best 16th.

India’s Axar Patel (up to 12th) and Kuldeep Yadav (up to 23rd) also gained, along with Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmed, who rose eight places to 25th. Among the pacers, Jasprit Bumrah climbed to 40th, and Bangladesh’s Tanzim Hasan moved up five slots to 42nd.

Outside the Asia Cup, England’s Jofra Archer (13th) and South Africa’s Marco Jansen (38th) also saw improvement in their rankings.

ABHISHEK SHARMA CONSOLIDATES TOP BATTING SPOT

India’s explosive opener Abhishek Sharma continues to dominate the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, further strengthening his No 1 position. His quickfire knocks, 30 off 16 balls against the UAE and 31 off 13 against Pakistan, earned him 55 rating points, taking his tally to 884.

England’s opening duo Phil Salt and Jos Buttler moved to second and third, respectively. Salt’s unbeaten 141 off just 60 balls against South Africa in Manchester, the fastest T20I century by an England player, nearly propelled him back to his career-best No. 1 ranking. Buttler’s 83 off 30 earned him a career-high 794 rating points.

OTHER NOTABLE BATTING GAINS AS ISSUED BY THE ICC

• Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka (up to 6th)
• South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (11th)
• Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (19th)
• UAE’s Mohammad Waseem (20th)
• South Africa’s Aiden Markram (30th, up 10 places)
• India’s Shubman Gill (39th)
• Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan (55th, up 18 places)

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Sahibzada Farhan is the only Pakistani player to have made any mark in these latest rankings, which have primarily focused on the impact of the Asia Cup on individual performances. Several players have ended up seizing this opportunity to climb the ICC ladder ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.