ENGLAND spinner Adil Rashid will end 2023 as the world’s number one T20 bowler after climbing to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings for the first time.
Rashid, who became the first Englishman to reach 100 wickets in the format during the ongoing series in the West Indies, moves up two spots to leapfrog fellow leg-spinners Rashid Khan and Ravi Bishnoi at the summit.
The 35-year-old has taken seven wickets in the first four games in the Caribbean, taking his career tally to 105. Sam Curran, in 13th, is the next highest England bowler on the list.
Phil Salt — fresh from back-to-back centuries against the Windies — rises to 20th in the batting list, while captain Jos Buttler remains eighth.
In ODI cricket, England’s dire World Cup campaign leaves them with just one top 10 player across the batting, bowling and all-round rankings. Dawid Malan, dropped despite topping the deposed champions’ run-scoring charts in India, lies ninth.
Joe Root retains second place among Test batters, sitting behind New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and ahead of Australia’s Steve Smith.
