The ongoing T20 World Cup has triggered a major shake-up in the ICC Men’s Player Rankings, with standout performances on the world stage translating into significant climbs across all departments. The headline news comes from the all-rounders’ category, where Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has reclaimed the No. 1 ranking. Raza’s return to the summit follows a masterclass in Zimbabwe’s opening victory over Oman, where he stifled the opposition with an economical spell of 1/17 before returning to hit the winning runs. This surge sees him edge past Pakistan’s Saim Ayub to take the premier position he first held late last year.
Zimbabwe’s success in Colombo also boosted young talent Brian Bennett, who reached a career-high batting rank of 19th after his unbeaten 48. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan has become a major force in the top 10; his explosive 73 against the USA catapulted him four places up to third overall in the T20I batting rankings. At the very top, India’s Abhishek Sharma remains the world’s top-ranked T20I batter, holding his lead over England’s Phil Salt. Other notable movers in the batting department include New Zealand’s Tim Seifert (8th), Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis (12th), and the Netherlands’ Michael Levitt, who climbed to 27th.
The bowling charts remain ultra-competitive, with India’s Varun Chakravarthy maintaining a slender lead over Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed at the top. Sri Lankan star Wanindu Hasaranga was the only significant mover within the top 10, rising to fifth. However, the real movement happened further down the list as World Cup wickets began to tally up. India’s Arshdeep Singh moved up to 11th, while Pakistan’s Salman Mirza made a leap of nine spots to 13th. Other bowlers making waves include Zimbabwe’s Brad Evans, New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, and Scotland’s Bradley Currie, all of whom saw double-digit jumps following their clinical displays in the tournament’s opening week.
