ICC Rankings: Axar Patel breaks into top 3 in T20I bowlers; Arshdeep Singh gains much-needed boost

Dubai [UAE], May 29 (ANI): India all-rounder Axar Patel broke into the top three in the latest ICC rankings for T20I bowlers while star pacer Arshdeep Singh moved 3 places up to No.16, International Cricket Council (ICC) announced an update on Wednesday.
Axar moved up one spot to No. 3, where he now sits 62 points behind the leader, Adil Rashid of England, who has 722 rating points. With 687 points, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka is ranked second. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein of the West Indies fell five spots to No. 8 in the rankings, and Axar climbed.
His confidence could increase as a result of his rise in the rankings ahead of India's forthcoming T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies and the USA. Anrich Nortje of South Africa dropped six spots, and left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh rose three spots to No. 16 in the rankings.
Before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup officially begins, international players from Pakistan, the West Indies, and England have all gained ground on the final update of the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings.
Only a few days before the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA begins, players from both sides have made progress in the most recent rankings update, despite the fact that bad weather has hindered parts of England's home series against Pakistan.
After a fantastic innings of 84 in Birmingham, England skipper Jos Buttler moves up one spot to seventh on the latest rankings for T20I batters, while teammate Jonny Bairstow moves up eight spots to 36th on the same list.
During that game, Pakistan's best scorer was Fakhar Zaman, a stylish left-hander who moved up six spots to 51st after scoring 45 runs off of just 21 deliveries against England.
Following their recent series victory over South Africa, three West Indies players are also rising in the rankings. Brandon King moved up five spots to eighth place, Johnson Charles moved up 17 spots to 20th place, and Kyle Mayers moved up 12 spots to 31st place. These players have all made significant progress in the T20I batting rankings.
Due to his eight wickets in the series against the Proteas, teammate Gudakesh Motie was named Player of the Series. The left-arm spinner is the big winner in the new T20I bowlers rankings, moving up from outside the top 100 to 27th overall.
Reece Topley, an England bowler, moves up one spot to rank ninth among T20I bowlers, while Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan moves up three spots to rank eleventh, Haris Rauf moves up two spots to rank twenty-five, and Imad Wasim moves up fourteen places to rank thirty-eight, all thanks to their recent ball-handling exploits.
England spinner Adil Rashid will open the T20 World Cup as the number one ranked T20I batter, while India's standout Suryakumar Yadav will start as the T20 World Cup as the No.1 ranked T20I batter. (ANI)