Maaz, Salman rise in latest ICC T20I rankings

Opening batter climbs 187 places to 45th after scoring consecutive half-centuries in Sri Lanka T20Is rawalpindi Pakistan's Maaz Sadaqat and Salman Mirza have climbed the latest ICC Men's T20I rankings following their impressive performances in the recently concluded three-match series against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won 2-1. Sadaqat was among the biggest movers in the batters' rankings after scoring consecutive half-centuries, including a magnificent 96 in the second T20I. The young top-order batter climbed 187 places to 45th with 533 rating points. Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan retained third place with 883 points and is closing in on India's Abhishek Sharma, who occupies second position, while Ishan Kishan continues to lead the rankings. Meanwhile, opener Saim Ayub slipped four places to 42nd with 550 points. Former captain Babar Azam dropped three places to 48th, while Hasan Nawaz also fell three spots to 51st. Salman Ali Agha moved down eight places to 56th with 520 points, whereas experienced batter Fakhar Zaman climbed one place to 81st with 473 points. In the T20I bowlers' rankings, Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed dropped out of the top three, slipping to fourth with 695 points. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan retained the top position, while Australia's Adam Zampa moved up to second. England's Adil Rashid occupied third place. Pakistan pacer Salman Mirza made notable progress, climbing nine places to 14th with 635 points. Spinner Mohammad Nawaz dropped six places to 18th with 626 points, while left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi slipped four spots to 40th. Elsewhere, spinner Sufiyan Muqeem fell three places to 53rd, while all-rounder Saim Ayub climbed eight spots to 54th. Usman Tariq dropped four places to 67th, whereas Shadab Khan improved three places to 74th.