Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has fallen three places in the latest ICC T20I rankings, moving from 14th to 17th. This drop comes as he remains out of the national T20 team and amid growing rumours about his possible return.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan also slipped in the rankings, falling from 16th to 19th. Like Babar, Rizwan has not been part of recent T20I squads.
Babar, who has led Pakistan in 55 T20Is — the most by any Pakistani captain — was dropped from the squad after a disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign under his leadership. He last played a T20I match in December 2024 against South Africa.Since then, he has missed series against New Zealand in March 2025 and Bangladesh. However, speculation about his return started after opening batter Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the ongoing West Indies tour due to injury.
Unconfirmed reports suggest Babar could replace Fakhar if he passes a fitness test. He’s also being considered for the upcoming tri-nation series involving the UAE and Afghanistan, and possibly the Asia Cup 2025.Babar is currently part of Pakistan’s ODI squad for the three-match series against West Indies. The first match is set for August 8 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, followed by games on August 10 and 12.
