Travis Head dethroned Suryakumar Yadav as the No. 1 T20I batter in the ICC rankings today. Suryakumar had held the top spot since December 2023, with previous stints at No. 1. However, Head’s impressive performance as an opener for Australia during the T20 World Cup led to a significant shift in the rankings.
Head jumped to the top spot, with Suryakumar, Phil Salt, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan each dropping one place to round out the top five.
The left-hander’s rise was propelled by a rapid 76 off 43 balls in Australia’s final Super Eight game. However, Head couldn’t improve his team’s standing as his innings didn’t secure an Australian win against India. The 2021 champions were eliminated after Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh to reach their first World Cup semi-finals.
Travis Head scored 255 runs in seven matches at an average of 42, with a tournament-leading strike rate of 158, despite challenging conditions for run-scoring.
Suryakumar, with 149 runs in six World Cup matches at a strike rate of 139, aims to reclaim his top spot in the upcoming semi-final against England on Thursday. He’s just two rating points behind Head and a strong performance could see him back as the No.1 batter if India reaches the final on Saturday.
West Indies’ Johnson Charles enters the top ten, moving up 4 spots, while Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz rises 5 places just below him. However, Australians face a setback in the latest rankings as Marcus Stoinis loses his top spot in the All-rounders Rankings after a brief tenure.
Stoinis drops to fourth, with India’s Hardik Pandya now third, Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan second, and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga reclaiming the top spot. Roston Chase climbs 17 places to 12th among all-rounders.
England’s Adil Rashid retains his position as the top bowler, with Rashid Khan rising to second after his T20 World Cup performance, and Josh Hazlewood moving up to fourth, just behind Hasaranga.
Some top bowlers are climbing the rankings: Kuldeep Yadav has risen 20 places to 11th, Jasprit Bumrah surged 44 spots to 24th, and Jofra Archer moved up 19 places to 38th after returning from injury.
So far in this World Cup, Bumrah has claimed 11 wickets across six innings, maintaining an outstanding economy rate of 4.08.