KARACHI: Pakistan’s rising star Saim Ayub has achieved a career milestone by becoming the No. 1 T20 all-rounder in the world, according to the latest ICC rankings.
The 22-year-old left-hander jumped four places to overtake India’s Hardik Pandya, who has now slipped to second.
This is the first time Saim has reached the top of the ICC T20 all-rounder charts, marking a significant achievement for both him and Pakistan cricket.
Among other Pakistani players, Mohammad Nawaz climbed to 13th position, while Faheem Ashraf moved up to 35th. In the bowling department, India’s Varun Chakravarthy continues to hold the top spot, but Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed dropped three places to seventh.
India’s Kuldeep Yadav made major gains, moving up to 12th, while Shaheen Afridi surged 12 places to 14th. On the other hand, Haris Rauf slipped to 33rd.
In the batting rankings, India’s Abhishek Sharma retained his position at the top. Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka rose to fifth, while Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav fell to eighth. Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan produced one of the biggest leaps of the update, climbing 11 places to reach 13th.
However, established names such as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan slid down the table, with Babar dropping to 37th and Rizwan to 41st. Fakhar Zaman managed some improvement, moving up to 60th.
Although Pakistan’s batting performances were inconsistent in the Asia Cup, Saim Ayub’s all-round brilliance has propelled him to the top of the global charts.
His rise underscores the depth of Pakistan’s emerging talent and highlights his growing reputation as one of the most promising young cricketers in world cricket today.
