Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed has arguably been the team’s standout bowler during the ongoing Asia Cup, and he’s been rewarded for his efforts by breaking into the top five of the ICC Men’s T20I bowlers’ rankings for the first time.
The 26-year-old climbed to No. 4 in the latest update, reaching a personal-best rating of 703 points after his impressive spell against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. His accuracy and ability to outfox batters in crunch moments have made him one of Pakistan’s most dependable options in the shortest format.
Abrar’s rise continues a breakthrough year for the spinner, who has quickly established himself as a frontline bowler across formats. His success in T20Is comes on the back of consistent performances in the national colours. In five matches at the Asia Cup, Abrar has picked up five wickets at an economy rate of just 4.62, underlining his growing importance to the team.
By entering the elite top five, Abrar joins the ranks of Pakistan’s finest limited-overs spinners in recent years, following in the footsteps of Saeed Ajmal, Imad Wasim, and Shadab Khan, all of whom previously featured prominently in ICC rankings.
Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi (25) and Haris Rauf (28) have seen improvements in their rankings, while Sufiyan Muqeem (14) and Mohammad Nawaz (46) have dropped.
ICC T20I Bowlers Rankings:
| Pos | Team | Player | Rating | Career Best Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | India | Varun Chakaravarthy | 747 | 747 vs Pakistan at Dubai 2025 |
| 02 | New Zealand | Jacob Duffy | 717 | 750 vs South Africa at Harare 2025 |
| 03 | West Indies | Akeal Hosein | 707 | 714 vs Bangladesh at St. Vincent 2024 |
| 04 | Pakistan | Abrar Ahmed | 703 | 703 vs Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi 2025 |
| 05 | Australia | Adam Zampa | 700 | 746 vs Sri Lanka at Sydney 2022 |
Over on the batters’ side, Sahibzada Farhan has climbed 34 places to reach 24th in the batting rankings after a string of solid performances. Salman Ali Agha (64) and Fakhar Zaman (66) have also improved, whereas Saim Ayub (54), Hasan Nawaz (58), and Mohammad Haris (91) have seen a decline.
ICC T20I Batters Rankings:
| Pos | Team | Player | Rating | Career Best Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | India | Abhishek Sharma | 907 | 907 vs Pakistan at Dubai 2025 |
| 02 | England | Phil Salt | 844 | 881 vs West Indies at Barbados 2024 |
| 03 | India | Tilak Varma | 791 | 845 vs England at Chennai 2025 |
| 04 | England | Jos Buttler | 785 | 794 vs South Africa at Old Trafford 2025 |
| 05 | Australia | Travis Head | 771 | 885 vs Scotland at Edinburgh 2024 |
Saim Ayub, however, remains 5th in the all-rounders’ rankings, with Mohammad Nawaz at 17th and Faheem Ashraf at 39th.
ICC T20I All-Rounders Rankings:
| Pos | Team | Player | Rating | Career Best Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | India | Hardik Pandya | 238 | 268 vs West Indies at Guyana 2023 |
| 02 | Afghanistan | Mohammad Nabi | 231 | 361 vs Bangladesh at Mirpur 2019 |
| 03 | Zimbabwe | Sikandar Raza | 212 | 213 vs India at Harare 2024 |
| 04 | Nepal | Dipendra Singh Airee | 209 | 244 vs USA at Dallas 2024 |
| 05 | Pakistan | Saim Ayub | 201 | 211 vs India at Dubai 2025 |
Pakistan’s next assignment in the Asia Cup Super Fours offers Abrar Ahmed an other more chances to better their ICC T20I Rankings. With plenty of T20I cricket to come in the coming months, Pakistani fans will be hoping this rise is just a start of something special.