Pakistan’s young left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem has climbed to new heights in international cricket, becoming the country’s highest-ranked bowler in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Rankings.
According to the updated list released this week, the 22-year-old jumped 11 places to claim the 22nd position with 594 rating points, making him Pakistan’s top representative among bowlers in the format.
Muqeem’s rapid rise comes on the back of consistent performances, most notably during the December 2024 series against Zimbabwe, where he stunned the cricketing world by taking 5 wickets for just 3 runs—a record-equalling spell for the fewest runs conceded in a men’s T20I five-wicket haul. He finished that series as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker, grabbing nine wickets overall.
Other Pakistani bowlers also experienced shifts in the rankings. Shaheen Afridi moved up eight spots to 26th, while Haris Rauf slipped four places to 28th. Abbas Afridi sits at 33rd, and Mohammad Nawaz surged 15 places to 43rd. However, leg-spinner Shadab Khan dropped to 81st, with Abrar Ahmed also sliding to 66th.
At the top of the global list, New Zealand’s Matt Henry continues to hold the No. 1 position, followed by England’s Adil Rashid in second and West Indies’ Akeal Hosein in third.
The rankings update also brought mixed results for Pakistan’s batting lineup. Rising star Hasan Nawaz saw a small improvement, but senior players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan slipped slightly down the charts.
For Pakistan, however, the spotlight remains firmly on Muqeem, whose sharp rise signals the emergence of a new match-winner in the country’s T20I setup. If his recent performances are any indication, Pakistan may finally have found a young spinner capable of consistently troubling the best batters in the world.
