Saim Ayub dethrones Hardik Pandya to become top ranked T20I all-rounder

Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has climbed to the top of the ICC T20 International all-rounder rankings, marking a major milestone in his career.

Despite a recent dip in batting form, Ayub’s performance with the ball has lifted him to the number one position.

The 22-year-old opening batter overtook India’s Hardik Pandya, who has dropped to second place. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi retained third spot with 231 rating points.

Among other Pakistani players, Mohammad Nawaz climbed four spots to 13th with 166 points, alongside Faheem Ashraf, who also moved up four places to 35th with 100 points.

Pace-bowling all-rounder Shaheen Afridi made significant progress, jumping 15 spots to 56th.

However, not all movement was upward for Pakistan. Shadab Khan dropped one place to 36th, captain Salman Agha slipped to 72nd, Abbas Afridi fell three places to 79th, and Iftikhar Ahmed went down two spots to 92nd.

This achievement marks a major boost for Saim Ayub, who continues to establish himself as one of Pakistan’s most versatile T20 players.

For the unversed, the 23-year-old claimed eight wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 6.40 in the recently concluded ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025.

In the latest ICC T20I batters’ rankings, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan jumped 11 places to secure the 13th spot with 658 points, following his outstanding batting display in the Asia Cup, where he proved to be a key contributor for his side.

Fakhar Zaman climbed six places to reach 60th, while skipper Salman Ali Agha moved up two spots to 62nd. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris also made significant progress, rising 11 places to 79th with 431 points.

Meanwhile, the star pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who have been out of Pakistan’s T20I plans since 2024, slipped down the rankings. Babar dropped two places to 37th and Rizwan three places to 41st.

Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz also lost ground, both falling three places to 57th and 61st, respectively.

At the top, India’s Abhishek Sharma continues to hold the No.1 T20I batter ranking, followed by England’s Phil Salt in second and India’s Tilak Varma in third.

In the ICC T20I bowlers’ rankings, pacer Shaheen Afridi climbed 12 spots to reach 13th place, equalling India’s Axar Patel with 635 points.

Mohammad Nawaz also moved up five places to 41st, while Saim Ayub made a remarkable jump of 51 spots to 58th with 482 points.

Pacer Faheem Ashraf also surged 26 places to 93rd with 418 points.

However, the rankings also saw some setbacks. Spinner Abrar Ahmed slipped three places to seventh, while Sufiyan Muqeem also dropped three spots to 17th with 624 points.

Pacer Haris Rauf fell five places to 33rd with 548 points, and Abbas Afridi dropped six spots to 50th.

Meanwhile, India’s Varun Chakaravarthy continues to lead as the No. 1 T20I bowler, followed by New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy in second and Australia’s Adam Zampa in third.