Tahir hands No 1 ranking to Pakistan’s Wasim

PAKISTAN ICC Champions Trophy-winning side’s member Imad Wasim has become the No 1 ranked T20 international bowler after South Africa’s Imran Tahir lost ground following the conclusion of the series against England.

In the latest T20I player rankings for bowlers Tahir has slipped two places after he managed only one wicket in two matches.

His drop to third means Wasim 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 shot up 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 20th position after rising 12 places, while Roy’s series ag- gregate of 103 runs has helped him achieve a career-high 25th position after jumping 26 places.

Meanwhile, in the T20I team rankings, England has moved into outright second position. They had started the series level with Pakistan on 121 points, but have now moved to 123 points to trail No 1-ranked New Zealand by two points.

In contrast, South Africa has dropped one point to join Australia on 110 points.

However, they are ranked ahead of Australia by a fraction of a point, and occupy sixth position. – ANA