Key Takeaways
- Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed has topped the ICC Men’s T20I bowling rankings.
- He overtook Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who held the position for six months.
- Abrar is the fifth Pakistani bowler to achieve this feat.
Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed has risen to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I bowling rankings for the first time in his career, ending Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan’s six-month reign at No. 1.
The 28-year-old right-arm mystery spinner has taken 133 international wickets and is currently ranked second in the ODI bowling rankings, 39 rating points behind Rashid.
Abrar’s achievement is significant as he is only the fifth Pakistan bowler to top the T20I bowling rankings, following Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Imad Wasim, and Shahid Afridi.
He has featured in nine T20Is for Pakistan this year and taken 15 wickets, including six in the three-match home series against Australia, which Pakistan won 3-0 in January and February.
Abrar expressed his pride in the achievement, stating, “When you start playing cricket, you have only one dream to represent Pakistan. Once you achieve that, the next dream is to become world number one.”
He added, “I feel very proud to become the world number one bowler while representing Pakistan. I will continue working hard to achieve more success and win more matches for Pakistan.”
Abrar highlighted his focus on consistency, saying, “In the past, I had variations in my bowling, but consistency was an area I needed to improve. I worked hard on my consistency and that work has helped me improve a lot.”
Currently, Abrar is with Pakistan’s Asian Games squad, which is undergoing a four-day training camp in Karachi ahead of the competition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
His aim is to perform well and help his team win matches and return to Pakistan with a gold medal.
When you start playing cricket, you have only one dream to represent Pakistan. Once you achieve that, the next dream is to become world number one.
Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan’s T20I bowler
I feel very proud to become the world number one bowler while representing Pakistan. I will continue working hard to achieve more success and win more matches for Pakistan.
Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan’s T20I bowler
In the past, I had variations in my bowling, but consistency was an area I needed to improve. I worked hard on my consistency and that work has helped me improve a lot.
Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan’s T20I bowler
