India remains No. 1 in ICC rankings before T20 World Cup 2024

Australia, the 2021 World Champion, was second with 257 points, defending champions England third with 254 points and the West Indies two points behind them on 252.

India, which will be led by Rohit Sharma in the World Cup, had 264 rating points and remained unmoved from the top spot in the latest rankings. | Photo Credit: K. R. Deepak/The Hindu

Inaugural T20 World Cup winner India held the top spot in the men’s T20I team rankings ahead of the upcoming edition of the tournament, which the West Indies and USA are co-hosting from June 1-29.

India had 264 rating points while Two-time champion West Indies moved up to fourth. The winners of the 2012 and 2016 editions of the tournament are ahead of New Zealand and South Africa after their 3-0 win over the latter, which was pushed down to seventh.

Australia, the 2021 World Champion, was second with 257 points, defending champions England third with 254 points and the West Indies two points behind them on 252.

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New Zealand was on 250 while Pakistan and South Africa were both on 244 points with Pakistan slightly ahead on decimal points.

West Indies’ players reaped the benefits of their superb performances in the home series not long before their tournament opener against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on June 2.

Opening batter Brandon King climbed five places to eighth position after topping the series aggregate with 159 runs and Johnson Charles, who hammered 69 off 26 balls to be named Player of the Match in the third T20I, was up 17 places to 20th.

Kyle Mayers moved 12 places to reach 31st position with an aggregate of 102 runs while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie advanced a whopping 84 places to 27th after finishing with eight wickets in the series.

In the latest weekly update that also considers performances in the last two matches of the Bangladesh-USA series and the ongoing series between England and Pakistan, England captain Jos Buttler inched up to seventh position, Jonny Bairstow was up eight places to 36th while Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman advanced from 57th to 51st.

In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi was up three places to 11th while Imad Wasim climbed 14 places to 38th.

For the USA, Steven Taylor made big gains, progressing 28 places to 109 in the batting rankings while Bangladesh’s Rishad Hussain moved up 38 places to 52nd in the bowling rankings.