New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy crowned No.1 after dream T20I series vs Pakistan

Jacob Duffy has become the No.1 bowler in T20Is in the latest ICC rankings. The New Zealand pacer climbed four places up to the top after his dream run in the T20I series against Pakistan. In five T20Is, Duffy has taken 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.16.

He got his best figures of 4-0-20-4 in the fourth game of the series on March 23 at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. He took the wickets of Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan and Haris Rauf, as the Black Caps bowled Pakistan out for 105 in 16.2 overs while defending 220.

This is the first time Duffy has secured the No.1 bowler ranking in any format, making him the first New Zealand cricketer to claim the top spot in men’s T20I cricket since leg-spinner Ish Sodhi in 2018.

Also Read: Hay, Sears crush Pakistan by 84 runs in 2nd ODI as New Zealand seal series 2-0

The 30-year-old Duffy has also had an impressive run in the ODI series against Pakistan, taking five wickets from two games with best figures of 8-1-35-3 on Wednesday, April 2 at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Meanwhile, while Duffy moved up, West Indies’ Akeal Hosein (2), India’s Varun Chakravarthy (3), England’s Adil Rashid (4), Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (5), and Australia’s Adam Zampa (6) dropped one place in the rankings.

Sefert, Neesham also advance

Apart from Duffy, Tim Seifert has always been rewarded for his impressive showing in the T20I series against Pakistan.

In the T20I series against Pakistan, Seifert racked up 249 runs at an average of 62.25 in five matches, with a top score of 97 not in the fifth T20I at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. On the back of his incredible performance, he also won the Player of the Series award.

Black Caps batter Finn Allen gains one place to move to 15th on the latest T20I batting rankings. James Neesham, who took a five-wicket haul in Wellington, climbed 14 places to No.30 in the list for T20I all-rounders.