Pakistan’s Haris Rauf has become the top-ranked bowler for Pakistan in the ICC T20I Bowler Rankings after claiming 10 wickets in the first three matches of the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand. With this impressive performance, Rauf has moved up five places in the rankings to occupy the 11th spot, surpassing his teammates Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who now rank at 13th and 15th respectively.
In the first T20I against New Zealand, Rauf took four wickets and helped his team register a comfortable win. He followed this up with another four-wicket haul in the second T20I, where he conceded only 29 runs in his four overs. In the third T20I, Rauf took two wickets, but Pakistan lost the match.
Rauf’s consistent performances have earned him career-high ratings of 657 points and the potential to enter the top 10 by the end of the five-match series. Meanwhile, Ish Sodhi and Shaheen Afridi have also moved up four and two spots respectively in the bowler’s rankings.
In addition to Rauf’s performance, Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya has also made significant strides in the rankings after continuing his impressive start to red-ball cricket. The left-arm spinner picked up a ten-wicket match haul against Ireland in the first Test, his second such figure in a very short six-match Test career.
Jayasuriya has already taken 43 wickets in six Tests, including five five-wicket hauls. His career-best seven-wicket haul in the Galle Test against Ireland has propelled him to the top 20 in the ICC Test bowling rankings, with career-best ratings of 669. He is now the top-ranked Sri Lankan bowler in Test cricket, with Ramesh Mendis placed next at No.32 after moving up three places in the rankings.
Sri Lankan batters have also made gains over the course of the Test, with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne achieving career-high ratings of 783 and moving up one place to No.9 after making 179 off 235 balls. Dinesh Chandimal, who scored an unbeaten hundred against Ireland, also moved up four places to enter the top 15, with 693 rating points. Chandimal has been in good form in Test cricket, averaging over 90 in the format since the start of 2022.
Overall, it has been an exciting period for cricket fans, with several players making significant strides in the ICC rankings across all formats of the game. The upcoming matches promise to be even more thrilling, with fans eagerly waiting to see how these players perform in the remaining matches.
