Josh Hazlewood claims number 1 spot in ICC T20I bowler rankings

Josh Hazlewood continued his fine rise in the shortest format of the sport as he bagged the ace in the T20I bowling rankings on the back of a stellar bowling display against the Lankans in the recently concluded T20I series. After a staggering 14 years of wait, the RCB fast bowler became the first Australian bowler to bag the top spot in the pecking order since Nathan Bracken in 2008.

Hazlewood emerged as the leading wicket-taker in Australia’s recent 2-1 triumph over Sri Lanka in the T20I series, as he surpassed the likes of Tabraiz Shamsi and Adil Rashid to claim the zenith. This is not the first time that Hazlewood has tasted success in international cricket as this performance against the Lankans came on the back of another resounding showing in the T20 World Cup that stayed witness to his haul of 11 crucial scalps. Josh is now an almost indispensable weapon in the Australian T20I ranks.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s impressive display in the three opening encounters that saw him bagging 6 wickets in the first three games against the Proteas, propelled him to the 11th spot with his career-best rating point of 635. Ishan Kishan’s imperious display in the first three T20Is against South Africa has propelled him by 68 spots to improve him from his ranking of 75 to finish in the top ten batters in the world. He is currently the highest-ranked Indian batter in T20Is, surpassing KL Rahul who is stationed in the 14th spot in the pecking order.