Babar Azam's reign atop the ICC rankings for T20I batsmen is over as England's Dawid Malan, coming off a 129-run haul in the three-match T20I series against Australia, took over the No. 1 spot.
Malan was one of the star performers of the recently-concluded series, setting the standards in the very first match itself, where he nabbed the Player of the Match award with a 43-ball 66 and assured England of a two-run victory as the men from Down Under faltered toward the end of their innings.
Malan's T20I record features some flattering numbers, with 682 runs bagged from 16 matches, with an average of 48.71 and strike rate of 146.66, along with a century and seven 50s.
Among England batsmen, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler also managed to move up the rankings. Bairstow climbed three positions to slot in at No. 19 while Buttler, who scored 121 runs in the two matches that he participated - an effort that earned him the Player of the Series award - leapt up 12 rungs to No. 28.
Among England's bowlers, Adil Rashid, who bagged six scalps in the series, moved up two spots to slot in at No. 7.
There was less shuffling of the order amid Australia's players, however, with only pacer Kane Richardson, who nabbed three wickets in the series, cracking the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Marty Melville
