Pakistan opener Saim Ayub has climbed back to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I all-rounder rankings, capping a rich run of form just days before the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The 23-year-old regains the No.1 position after playing a key role in Pakistan’s dominant 3-0 T20I series whitewash of Australia at home.
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Ayub replaces Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza at the summit, underlining Pakistan’s growing momentum ahead of the global tournament, which begins on February 7. With 119 runs and three wickets across the Australia series, Ayub’s all-round impact has strengthened Pakistan’s hopes of lifting their second T20 World Cup title and their first since the historic triumph in 2009.
Pakistan stars surge as rankings shake up
Ayub wasn’t the only Pakistan player to make significant gains in the latest rankings update. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed jumped two places to second on the T20I bowlers’ list, moving within 28 rating points of India’s Varun Chakravarthy at the top after claiming six wickets against Australia.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz also enjoyed a big rise, climbing eight places to seventh among T20I bowlers following his five-wicket haul in the final match of the series. Nawaz improved to fourth on the T20I all-rounders’ list as well, while Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha surged 12 places to 29th in the batters’ rankings. Ayub himself also climbed eight spots to joint 27th among T20I batters.
There was notable movement elsewhere too. Abhishek Sharma retained his stronghold at No.1 on the T20I batters’ list, with Jos Buttler, Pathum Nissanka, Suryakumar Yadav and Tim Seifert all moving up one place inside the top 10. Seven different nations are now represented in the top 11, setting the stage for further shake-ups during the World Cup.
Australia’s Cameron Green (up 16 places to 14th), South Africa’s Quinton de Kock (up 15 to joint 22nd), India’s Ishan Kishan (up 32 to 32nd) and Proteas batter Ryan Rickelton (up 42 to 40th) were among the biggest movers on the batting list. Among bowlers, experienced campaigners Adil Rashid and Mitchell Santner also made gains, rising to fourth and joint 23rd respectively, as teams fine-tune their combinations ahead of the marquee event.
