Shakib moves up in rankings despite Bangladesh’s loss

Even though Bangladesh ended up losing their opening Asia Cup game against Afghanistan on Tuesday, the Tigers' Test and T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan earned gains in the rankings. 

In the latest rankings updated by the ICC on Wednesday, Shakib moved eight places up to 19 in T20I bowlers' rankings. He has a rating point of 591. 

Shakib could not amount to much with the bat in hand during his side's seven-wicket loss to Afghanistan in Sharjah on Tuesday. He was dismissed after a nine-ball 11 run knock. 

However, with the ball in hand, the all-rounder was the most impressive. The wily left-arm spinner gave away just 13 runs in four overs and picked up the crucial wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. More importantly, Shakib gave away as many as 12 dots and did not concede a single boundary during his spell.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who claimed three wickets against Bangladesh, jumped two spots to third (708 points) in the T20I bowling rankings, over fellow leg-spinners Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa. 

Rashid's compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman meanwhile has entered the top ten with a seven-spot move up the rankings (660), currently edged out for eighth by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (661), whose 4/26 against Pakistan helped the men in blue for victory.

Also, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya's exceptional individual performance against Pakistan helped him jump eight places on the T20I all-rounder rankings, up to fifth position, his highest ever spot.