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Rankings boost for New Zealand following strong start to Pakistan series

Rankings boost for New Zealand following strong start to Pakistan series

Dubai, Mar 19 (UNI) New Zealand's strong start to their ongoing white-ball series against Pakistan has seen a trio of their players make large gains on the latest ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings.
The Black Caps have already opened up a 2-0 lead over Pakistan in the five-match T20I series, with their new-look opening combination doing plenty of damage during the Powerplay on both occasions.
Tim Seifert and Finn Allen have both made strong contributions with the bat and the pair have been rewarded on the latest rankings update.
Seifert rises 20 spots to jump to equal 13th overall for T20I batters after scores of 44 and 45, while Allen rises eight spots to 18th on the same list following innings of 29 not out and 38.
Australia's Travis Head remains at the top of the T20I rankings for batters, ahead of Abhishek Sharma of India and Phil Salt from England.
It's a similar case on the latest rankings for T20I bowlers, with Jacob Duffy obtaining a new career-high rating as he jumps up 23 places to 12th overall following six wickets from the opening two matches of that series, according to an ICC media statement.
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf picked up two wickets during the most recent contest against the Kiwis in Dunedin and gains four places to 26th as a result, with West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein still out in front in this category.
There was also some changes in the latest ODI rankings following a host of recent matches in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 in Windhoek.
Young Netherlands spinner Aryan Dutt gains two places to move to equal 33rd on the list for ODI bowlers on the back of a pair of three-wicket hauls against Namibia, while teammate Paul van Meekeren improves six spots to jump to equal 61st on the same list after a three-wicket spell of his own against the same opposition in their most recent contest.
There is also some joy for Namibia following the recent run of League 2 games, with skipper Gerhard Erasmus back inside the top for ODI all-rounders on the back of figures of 4/24 against Canada.
Erasmus also scored a half-century against the Netherlands last week and gains two places to move to equal 10th on the ODI all-rounder list that is headed by Afghanistan star Azmatullah Omarzai.
UNI BM

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