Independence Cup provides players opportunity to boost T20I rankings
Several leading players from the world over will get a chance to enhance their Twenty20 International rankings in the upcoming three-match Independence Cup series against Pakistan to be played under lights at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 12, 13 and 15 September.
The Faf du Plessis-led World XI side has five players from South Africa and also a selection of big names from six other Test playing countries in a series that has been given T20I status and hence performances will count in the calculation of individual rankings.
Not surprisingly, the high-profile T20I series brings together several top-level competitors including three of the top five bowlers in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Players Rankings getting to display their wares. Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Imad Wasim leads the T20I rankings table for bowlers while two former number-one bowlers feature in the World XI side.
Imad is way ahead of others at a career-best 780 points as of now, but leg-spinners Imran Tahir of South Africa and Samuel Badree of the West Indies, currently in second and fifth places, respectively, will also be eyeing the opportunity of doing well for the World XI and moving up the rankings. Tahir is presently on 744 points while Badree is on 714 points.
Tahir has spent 269 days as the top-ranked T20I bowler from September 2016 to June 2017 while Badree has spent most time at the top with a total of 785 days. He reached the top for the first time in March 2014 while his most recent stint as the top-ranked bowler was in September 2016.
In the rankings for batsmen, du Plessis is the top-ranked player from either side at eighth position while his compatriot Hashim Amla (15th) and Bangladesh’s left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal (41st) are the other prominent names in terms of rankings for the visiting side. Babar Azam (27th) and Shoaib Malik (34th) are the leading batsmen for the home side.
MRF Tyres ICC T20I Player Rankings (as on 10 September, before the Pakistan v World XI series in Lahore):
Batsmen (top 10)
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 Virat Kohli Ind 826 53.82 897 v Eng at Edgbaston 2014
2 Aaron Finch Aus 787 38.64 892 v Ban at Mirpur 2014
3 K. Williamson NZ 745 36.29 760 v Ban at Napier 2017
4 Evin Lewis WI 723*! 34.75 723 v Ind at Jamaica 2017
5 Glenn Maxwell Aus 718 29.35 763 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2016
6 Joe Root Eng 699 40.33 750 v WI at Kolkata 2016
7 Alex Hales Eng 674 32.68 866 v Ind at Edgbaston 2014
8= Faf du Plessis SA 664 37.63 843 v Ban at Mirpur 2015
M Shahzad Afg 664 32.34 706 v Ire at Greater Noida 2017
10 H. Masakadza Zim 657 29.43 699 v Ban at Khulna 2016
Other selected rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
15 Hashim Amla SA 602 32.42 657 v Eng at Mumbai 2016
27 Babar Azam Pak 539*! 50.60 539 v WI at Trinidad 2017
34 Shoaib Malik Pak 517 28.01 577 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2009
41= Tamim Iqbal Ban 489 23.56 550 v SL at Chittagong 2014
69= T. Perera SL 377 22.16 449 v Eng at Delhi 2016
Bowlers (top 10)
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
1 Imad Wasim Pak 780! 16.73 780 v WI at Trinidad 2017
2 Imran Tahir SA 744 14.81 795 v NZ at Auckland 2017
3 Jasprit Bumrah Ind 737 18.38 764 v Eng at Bengaluru 2017
4 Rashid Khan Afg 717! 14.35 717 v WI at St Kitts 2017
5 Samuel Badree WI 714 17.12 855 v Pak at Mirpur 2014
6 M. Rahman Ban 695*! 14.92 695 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2017
7 J. Faulkner Aus 688! 19.00 688 v SL at Adelaide 2017
8 Sunil Narine WI 652 21.22 817 v Pak at St. Vincent 2013
9 S. Al Hasan Ban 648 20.82 672 v Pak at Mirpur 2014
10= R. Ashwin Ind 626 22.94 765 v SL at Visakhapatnam 2016
Naveed UAE 626 17.27 632 v Afg at Dubai (GCA) 2016
Other selected rankings
Rank Player Team Pts Avge Highest Rating
60 M. Amir Pak 447 23.79 700 v Aus at Edgbaston 2010
79 Shoaib Malik Pak 373 23.04 414 v Eng at Sharjah 2015
92 Thisara Perera SL 344 29.08 462 v Pak at Colombo (RPS) 2015
All-rounders (top five)
Rank Player Team Pts Highest Rating
1 S. Al Hasan Ban 354 408 v Pak at Mirpur 2015
2 Glenn Maxwell Aus 344 388 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2016
3= M. Samuels WI 275 321 v SL at Mirpur 201
Nabi Afg 275 286 v Ire at Greater Noida 2017
5 Mahmudullah Ban 203! 203 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2017
For more information on player rankings, please click here.