After leading Pakistan from the front in the 2021 edition of the ICC World T20 2021, premier batter Babar Azam has failed to fire for the Green Army in the shortest format of the game. Azam’s below-par individual scores against Bangladesh and the West Indies in the post-T20 World Cup era have paved the way for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to crown a new No.1 batter in the recently released T20I rankings on Tuesday.
The world governing body of cricket has confirmed that there have been major changes in the men’s T20I rankings as Pakistan skipper Azam has been officially dethroned from the numero uno position. The premier batter of the Green Army is embracing a rough patch in the ongoing white-ball series between Pakistan and West Indies. Azam also had a batting no-show in the white-ball series during Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh after the T20 World Cup.
As per the latest ICC men’s batting rankings, England star Dawid Malan and South Africa’s Aiden Markram have managed to overtake Azam in the T20I standings. Malan has taken the top spot following Azam’s recent batting failures in the shortest format. With 805 points to his name, the England batter has reclaimed the top spot from Azam in the T20I rankings. South African batter Markram has secured the second spot with 789 points to his name.
Indian opener KL Rahul is fifth in the T20I rankings with 729 points under his belt while Pakistan skipper Azam has taken the third spot in the ICC standings. Pakistani opener Mohammed Rizwan is ranked fourth in the ICC rankings. Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne has become the new No.2 ranked Test batter as per the latest Test rankings released by the ICC on Tuesday. Pakistani star pacer Shaheen Afridi is placed 3rd in the bowling rankings.