Pakistan's cricket team is making waves with their recent ranking surge, just in time for the T20 World Cup. The team's white-ball players have been on a winning streak, with four out of five bilateral series victories in 2025. Their most recent triumph was a 2-1 series win over South Africa, showcasing their prowess on home soil. This success has translated into impressive gains in the ICC Men's T20 Player Rankings. Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, and Salman Agha have all climbed the ranks, with Azam rising nine spots to 30th, Ayub up ten places to 39th, and Agha gaining ten rungs to 54th. These players are making a strong case for their inclusion in the T20I batting lineup, which is still dominated by India's Abhishek Sharma. The West Indies' Shai Hope, Bangladesh's Tanzid Hasan, and Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have also made significant strides in the T20I batting rankings. On the bowling front, Varun Chakravarthy remains the top-ranked T20I bowler, but Australia's Josh Hazlewood has made a notable jump, rising two spots to 10th. The Bangladesh duo of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mahedi Hasan, along with West Indies' Jason Holder and Roston Chase, have also improved their positions. Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza has made a remarkable 32-position leap to 33rd overall. South Africa's Corbin Bosch, who led the wicket-taking in the series against Pakistan, has also caught the eye with a 15-place rise to 38th. Salman Mirza and Faheem Ashraf have improved their rankings from outside the top 100. In the all-rounder rankings, Raza and Chase have made significant gains, with Ayub maintaining his top ranking. Raza's century, scored in just 33 balls, is the joint-second-fastest in men's T20Is. The latest ODI rankings also saw some changes, with New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell skyrocketing up two spots to third overall, thanks to his Player of the Series performance against England. Mitchell's 178 runs and single dismissal helped the Black Caps secure a 3-0 series sweep. Fellow Kiwi Rachin Ravindra has also made strides, rising four places to 14th in the ODI batting rankings. England's Jofra Archer, despite a few setbacks, has moved up two places to third overall in the ODI bowling rankings after claiming three wickets against New Zealand.
