Hasaranga displaces Rashid at the top of bowling rankings; Surya continues to lead the batters

Dubai: Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has usurped the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings from Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan following his continued brilliance in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, where the Island nation’s campaign was halted in the Super 12 stage.

Hasaranga’s rise means Rashid Khan’s reign at the top of the bowling rankings was short-lived after the charismatic Afghanistan spinner had pushed Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood out of top spot, following a strong start in the T20 World Cup.

The Sri Lankan spinner took 15 wickets during his team’s World Cup campaign, more than any other player by the end of the Super 12 stage, and has regained the No.1 ranking that he last held in November 2021.

He finished the tournament with enviable figures of 3/13 against Afghanistan and 2/23 against England, adding further heft to his reputation as one of the best leg-spinners in the world.

In 52 matches, Hasaranga has now taken 86 wickets at an average of just 14.48 and at an impressive economy of 6.67. The 25-year-old is a fine batter as well, but a lack of time in the middle during the T20 World Cup has prevented him from moving further up the all-rounder rankings, remaining at number eight.

No Indian figures in the top-10 in the bowling rankings, with Hardik Pandya being the only player from Rohit Sharma’s side to figure prominently at No. 3 in the ICC ranking for all-rounders. Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams is the only new arrival in the all-rounder top-10, while Pakistan’s Shadab Khan is on the rise, jumping 10 places to 15.

A lack of involvement for England’s Moeen Ali has seen him and Sikandar Raza switch places into sixth and fourth respectively, with Raza hugely involved in Zimbabwe’s remarkable run in the T20 World Cup.

There is one new arrival in the top-10 of the rankings for bowlers too, with England’s Adil Rashid rising to eighth, one spot behind his compatriot Sam Curran.

Pathum Nissanka is up to 10 in the latest batter rankings, the only change in the upper echelons of that list. The brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav means he remains in top spot and with an extended advantage in that position and a career high rating of 869 points.

Yadav’s innings against Zimbabwe has helped secure his number-one placing, with Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, New Zealand’s Devon Conway and Babar Azam rounding out the top four.

Further down the batter rankings it is Finn Allen of New Zealand and India’s KL Rahul who are making moves, rising by six and five spots respectively and close to breaking into the top 10.

–IANS