The International Cricket Council has rolled out an 80-team rankings list for men’s T20 Internationals, with 52 members making up the women’s rankings.
Dubbing T20I cricket as the “vehicle for the growth of the game”, The ICC has included nations to have played six matches against other members since May 2016. Over twenty members are yet to reach the criteria.
Nepal leads the charge of emerging nations on the men’s side, moving from 14th to 11th in the new rankings. Scotland also sits above two full members, with Zimbabwe (13th) and Ireland (15th) sandwiching the Netherlands in 14th. UAE, punished for their home series defeat to Nepal earlier in the year, sit in 16th.
The bubble of the top 20 in the world in the shortest format is not dissimilar to that of the 20-team ODI rankings. PNG, Oman, Hong Kong and Namibia, four teams that competed at WCL2, hold spots 17-20. With Americas Northern Sub-Regional deemed not as strong as other qualifiers, Canada (25th) and USA (31st) certainly have potential to climb.
Other countries of note include Singapore (23rd), Denmark (24th), Jersey (26th), Kenya (29th), Botswana (30th), Malaysia (33rd), Uganda (35th) and Germany (36th).
Updated two weeks ago, the women’s rankings reward Thailand (12th) for their consistent performance, knocking on the door of 11th with Zimbabwe being kept honest. Scotland too could move up, with their rating a fraction below the two sides. Australia takes top spot after the Women’s World T20 crown in the Caribbean, with England and New Zealand making up the top three.
Nepal’s women, who now have multiple domestic competitions on their calendar, take 14th spot, with Uganda, UAE and Papua New Guinea all sitting closely behind.
International T20 cricket returns on Sudnay with African Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, and men’s T20Is resume next weekend with Belgium men hosting Germany in a three-match series.
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