Travis Head dethrones Suryakumar Yadav to become No.1 ranked T20I batter in updated ICC rankings
Australian opener Travis Head has dethroned Suryakumar Yadav as the No.1 batter in the latest T20I batting rankings. The southpaw has jumped four places to reach the summit of the rankings as Suryakumar Yadav, Phil Salt, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan have all dropped down one spot each.
Even as Australia finds themselves out of the T20 World Cup 2024, Head saved his best innings of the tournament for the last.
The South Australian hammered a valiant 76 off only 43 deliveries, keeping Australia in the hunt for a 205-run chase for longer than it looked likely. However, Jasprit Bumrah's slower delivery deceived him. Australia's chase eventually fizzled out and they lost by 24 runs.
Among the Australians, Marcus Stoinis has dropped down the rankings after a short stay in the ICC all-rounder's standings. Although Stoinis picked up two wickets in the match against India, he perished cheaply with the bat.
Travis Head is still the second-highest run-getter in T20 World Cup 2024
The explosive Australian batter is still the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 255 runs behind Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who has 281 under his belt.
South African keeper-batter Quinton de Kock could overtake the left-hander, given he has 199 runs while Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran has an even stronger chance, given he has 229 runs in his kitty.
Australia's campaign was unblemished before their 21-run defeat to Afghanistan in Kingstown, making their clash against India a must-win clash. However, the former champions lost the game, which meant their fate was no longer in their hands.
Afghanistan's narrow win over Bangladesh in Kingstown meant that the former progressed to the semi-finals and Australia were knocked out of the tournament.
The competition also marked the end of David Warner's international career but he managed only nine runs in his last two innings. Australia will be next in action during the tour of England in September.