Pakistan and New Zealand shape up for T20I clashes in Dubai
Pakistan and New Zealand will be aiming for upwards movement on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankingswhen they go head to head in a two-match T20I series on Thursday and Friday at Dubai International CricketStadium.
Ahead of the series, Pakistan stands in third place in the rankings, and a 2-0 victory will see it close the gapwith second-placed India to three points. A 2-0 victory for sixth-placed New Zealand would see Kane Williamson’s men rise to 115 points, one behind Shahid Afridi’s side, which would drop six points and two places to fifth position.
If the series is drawn 1-1, Pakistan would drop a point but remain in third place, while New Zealand would remain in sixth but edge a point clear of West Indies, who it currently shares the same number of points as.
At the top of the table, Sri Lanka holds a five-point lead over second-placed India.
For New Zealand, Brendon McCullum is the top ranked batsman in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I Batsmen, in fourth place, and he has an opportunity to gain ground on England’s Alex Hales who is 84 ratingspoints ahead of him. Martin Guptill (16th) is the other Black Caps’ batsman in the top 20, while 10th placed Ahmed Shehzad is Pakistan’s highest ranked batsman.
Pakistan has two players in the top five Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I Batsmen, first placed Mohammad Hafeez and third placed Afridi, who also, incidentally, lies in sixth place in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I Bowlers. Tenth-placed Nathan McCullum is New Zealand’s highest ranked bowler.
To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the rankings table, please clickhere. The ODI and T20I rankings tables, unlike the Test ranking table, is updated after each match.
Upcoming fixtures (Pakistan v New Zealand)
4 Dec – 1st T20I, Dubai
5 Dec – 2nd T20I, Dubai
Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings (as on 2 December, ahead of Pakistan-New Zealand series)
Rank Team Rating
1 Sri Lanka 131
2 India 126
3 Pakistan 121
4 South Africa 118
5 Australia 117
6 New Zealand 110
7 West Indies 110
8 England 99
9 Ireland 87
10 Bangladesh 72
11 Netherlands 68
12 Afghanistan 62
13 Zimbabwe 52
14 Scotland 51
