Abrar Ahmed rises to No. 1 in ICC T20I bowling rankings

Abrar Ahmed rises to No. 1 in ICC T20I bowling rankings.

Key points

• Dawn Sport Published September 23, 2026 Updated September 23, 2026 11: 01pm.
• After Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Imad Wasim and Shahid Afridi, the 28-year-old became only the fifth Pakistan bowler to top the T20I bowling rankings.
• Abrar, who has played 10 Tests, 19 ODIs and 38 T20Is for Pakistan, has taken 133 international wickets.
• Abrar moved to the summit after Rashid slipped one rating point behind the Pakistan spinner's tally of 736 after an unimpressive outing against India.
• The Karachi-born right-arm mystery spinner has featured in nine T20Is for Pakistan this year and taken 15 wickets, including six in the three-match home series against Australia.

Dawn Sport Published September 23, 2026 Updated September 23, 2026 11: 01pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

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.

Abrar, who has played 10 Tests, 19 ODIs and 38 T20Is for Pakistan, has taken 133 international wickets. He is additionally ranked second in the ODI bowling rankings, 39 rating points behind Rashid. This person occupies the top position in that format.

Meanwhile, the Karachi-born right-arm mystery spinner has featured in nine T20Is for Pakistan this year and taken 15 wickets, including six in the three-match home series against Australia. It pakistan won 3-0 in January and February. Abrar remarked the achievement fulfilled a long-held ambition of his.

"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 was quoted as saying by the Pakistan Cricket Board's digital platform.

"I feel particularly 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 remarked improving his consistency had been a particular focus of his work.

"Previously, 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 supported me improve a lot, " he stated.

He is at present with Pakistan's Asian Games squad. It is undergoing a four-day training camp in Karachi ahead of the competition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

"My aim is to perform well and help my team win matches and return to Pakistan with a gold medal, " Abrar remarked.

Taken together, the developments around abrar Ahmed rises to No. 1 in ICC T20I bowling rankings point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.