Shahzad, Dawlat break into ICC top 10 rankings
Afghanistan opener Mohammad Shahzad's whirlwind 118 last night has lifted him 12 places to No. 8 in the ICC rankings for T20 batsmen. His team-mate and fast bowler Dawlat Zadran is ranked at No. 8 as well among the bowlers
ESPNcricinfo staff
11-Jan-2016
Mohammad Shahzad has 681 points, which is only three behind New Zealand's Brendon McCullum • Chris Whiteoak
Less than a week ago Afghanistan confirmed their place among the top 10 teams in the world, as rated by the ICC. Now they have a representative each in the top 10 batsmen and bowlers rankings in Twenty20 cricket.
Mohammad Shahzad struck 118 off 67 balls last night - the highest score by an Associate player in T20Is and the fourth highest overall - to claim a career-best eighth spot. It is his first time breaking into the top 10 for the batsmen's rankings and has 681 points, only three behind Brendon McCullum. Shahzad has played in 13 T20Is since the start of 2015 and struck 448 runs, the most by any batsman in that time period.
Dawlat Zadran is their other big mover. He has taken 18 wickets from his last 10 matches, which makes him the most successful fast bowler since January 2015. He is now ranked No. 8 with 636 points, four shy of Imran Tahir and 21 behind Lasith Malinga.
Afghanistan are placed ninth in the team rankings for Twenty20 cricket with 80 points, above Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and just below India. The top seven teams are separated by only four points with West Indies at No. 1.