Babar Azam and Saim Ayub have made notable strides in the latest ICC Men’s T20I player rankings following their stellar performances in Pakistan's 2-1 victory over South Africa, 24NewsHD TV reported on Wednesday.
According to the ICC, Babar Azam climbed nine spots to 30th position with 563 rating points after his match-winning innings in the third T20I.
Saim Ayub, who struck an unbeaten 71 in the second match to level the series, surged ten places to 39th.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan maintained his strong position at 11th, while skipper Salman Ali Agha moved up ten spots to 54th.
However, Fakhar Zaman dropped four places to 63rd, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan slipped two positions to 42nd after missing the series.
India’s Abhishek Sharma retained the top spot in the T20I batting rankings, followed by England’s Phil Salt and India’s Tilak Varma.
In the bowling department, Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed held steady at eighth, while Shaheen Shah Afridi climbed three places to 13th after his consistent new-ball spells.
Rising pacer Salman Mirza was one of the week’s biggest movers, jumping 98 places to 45th following his fiery performance in the second T20I. Faheem Ashraf also showed impressive progress, leaping 50 spots to 51st.
Among other bowlers, spinner Mohammad Nawaz rose to 32nd, while Sufiyan Muqeem slipped to 23rd and Haris Rauf fell three spots to 37th.
The all-rounders’ chart saw mixed results for Pakistan. Mohammad Nawaz dropped four places to 10th, while Faheem Ashraf advanced eight positions to 30th.
Shaheen Afridi fell to 56th, but Salman Ali Agha continued his upward trajectory, reaching 63rd.
Meanwhile, Saim Ayub retained his crown as the world’s No.1 T20I all-rounder, ahead of Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and West Indies’ Roston Chase, who now occupy the second and third spots respectively.