DUBAI: Aaron Finch, Fakhar Zaman, and KL Rahul have leapfrogged theexisting table-toppers to become the top-three batsmen in the T20Irankings, reported *ICC. link>*
The MRF Tyres ICC T20I Players Rankings for batsmen had a brand new 1-2-3at the end of the series between England and India, which the visitors won2-1, and the triangular series in Zimbabwe, where Pakistan beat Australiain the final.
Finch, the new captain of the Australian T20I side, had a remarkable runduring the tournament in Zimbabwe, scoring 68*, 172 – a world record in theformat, 16, 3 and 47.
Coming as these runs did on the back of the 84 he scored in the one-offT20I against England, Finch rose three spots from No.4 to becoming the newNo.1 batsman. He played no small role in Australia bouncing back from aspate of losses across formats in recent times, but it was still not enoughfor his team to win the tri-series title.
That was in a major part due to Fakhar Zaman. Zaman, who Finch had called“a real thorn in our side” before the final, slammed a career-best 91 injust 46 balls in the final, his blitz helping Pakistan cross Australia’s183/8 with four balls in hand.
Zaman’s performance in the tournament was spectacular and his rise in therankings equally so. His sequence in Zimbabwe read 61, 6, 47, 73 (hiscareer-best score before the final) and 91. No wonder he moved up 44 spotson the table to reach No.2 with 842 points, also the best in his shortinternational career so far.
Interestingly, earlier in the tournament, Finch had also reached acareer-high 900 points, and the new No.3 on the table, KL Rahul, did thesame in the first match of three-T20I series in England, getting to 854points.
That was after he had led India to victory in the first game of the serieswith an unbeaten 101. He dipped from there, but 6 and 19 in the next twogames ensured he was up nine spots since the last update at 812 points.
The injured Babar Azam, Colin Munro, and Glenn Maxwell all moved down,occupying the three spots below Finch, Zaman and Rahul, while further downon the list, there were more such interesting changes.
D’Arcy Short, Finch’s opening partner, had an up-and-down run in Zimbabwe,but scores of 46 and 76 – in the final – during the course of thetournament helped him jump 18 places to No.10. It’s a career-best numberfor him, his first time in the Top 10, with 690 points, also a career high.
Among others ending the England v India series with career-best points wereJason Roy (up 19 spots to No.15 with 641 points) and Jos Buttler (up ninespots to No.17 with 614 points), but perhaps the most breath-taking risehas been that of Zimbabwe opener Solomon Mire.
Mire started the tri-series with a big reputation but not much in terms ofnumbers in T20I cricket, but almost single-handedly kept Zimbabwe hopingfor a spot in the final with two magnificent innings.
He started slowly with 27 and 28 in the first two games but then slammed 94– Zimbabwe’s best in the format – and 63 in the last two to rise anincredible 202 places in the rankings. He ended with a career-best 581points and the 25th place on the table.