Imran Tahir hands number-one ranking to Imad Wasim

Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy-winning side’s member Imad Wasim has become the number-one ranked T20I bowler after South Africa’s Imran Tahir lost ground following the conclusion of the series against England.

In the latest MRF Tyres ICC T20I Player Rankings for T20I Bowlers, which was updated a day after England beat South Africa 2-1, Tahir has slipped two places after he managed only one wicket in two matches.

His drop to third means Imad has surged to the top for the first time in his career, with India’s fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah rising to second.

In the other major movements in the bowlers’ table, South Africa’s Chris Morris has vaulted 32 places to 29th, while England’s Liam Plunkett has jumped 26 places to 38th.

In the batting table, India’s Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch of Australia and Kane Williamson of New Zealand have retained the top three positions.However, AB de Villiers and Jason Roy are the biggest movers following the just-concluded series.

De Villiers, who was the leading run-getter in the series with 146 runs, has returned to the top 20 in 20thposition after rising  12 places, while Roy’s series aggregate of 103 runs has helped him achieve a career-high 25th position after jumping 26 places.

There is no change in the top three of the all-rounders’ table which is headed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh, who is followed by Glenn Maxwell of Australia and Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi.

Meanwhile, in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Team Rankings, England has moved into outright second position. It had started the series level with Pakistan on 121 points, but has now moved to 123 points to trail number-one ranked New Zealand by two points.

In contrast, South Africa has dropped one point to join Australia on 110 points. However, it is ranked ahead of Australia by a fraction of a point, and occupies the sixth position.

MRF Tyres ICC T20I Player Rankings (as on 26 June, after the conclusion of England-South Africa series):

Rank      Team                     Points

1.       New Zealand     125

2.       England                                123 (+2)

3.       Pakistan               121

4.       India                      118

5.       West Indies        114

6.       South Africa       110 (-1)

7.       Australia              110

8.       Sri Lanka              95

9.       Afghanistan        86

10.   Bangladesh         78

11.   Scotland               67

12.   Zimbabwe           65

13.   UAE                       52

14.   Netherlands       49

15.   Hong Kong          46

16.   PNG                       39

17.   Oman                    38

18.   Ireland                  36

(Developed by David Kendix)

Image: ICC Website