Pakistani spinner Abbarar Ahmed becomes top bowler in T20 according to ICC rankings

Abhishek Sharma once again demonstrated an aggressive playing style, starting the attack on the bowlers from the very first over of the match against Afghanistan. He showed impressive IPL-style play and set a new record.

Sharma reached a hundred runs in just 30 balls, using 9 fours and 10 sixes. His entire innings included 11 sixes. Rashid Khan was the player who dismissed him. Abhishek Sharma managed to score 108 runs off 34 balls.

Previously, Abhishek Sharma attracted the attention of fans in the first match of this series. Thanks to consistent scoring throughout the series, he also improved his ranking in the ICC rankings, securing second place in the ICC T20 rankings.

Abhishek Sharma made history in men's T20 International Cricket powerplay when, in the match against Afghanistan in Delhi in 2026, he played a storming innings of 76 runs off just 22 balls in the powerplay.

Thanks to this explosive performance, he set a new world record for the highest individual score in the first six overs of T20 International Cricket. He surpassed strong players such as Kuldeep Golia from Portugal and Travis Head from Australia.

Before Sharma, this record belonged to Kuldeep Golia, who scored 74 runs without being out against Malta in Gibraltar in 2023 for 25 balls in the powerplay. Furthermore, Australian batter Travis Head dropped to third place on this list after scoring 73 runs without being out for 22 balls in the first six overs against Scotland in Edinburgh in 2024.

Young Pakistani fast bowler Rajaula made his debut Test memorable. During the match at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham against England, Rajaula initially took four wickets in the first innings. Then, the 21-year-old player demonstrated impressive form in the second innings on September 11th (Friday).

He scored 81 runs off just 63 balls, including 9 sixes and 4 fours. Rajaula came onto the field when Pakistan's score in the second innings was 312/7, and England held the advantage. Although the team trailed by 320 runs after the first innings, half-centuries from Azan Awais (59 runs), Shan Masood (95 runs), and captain Babar Azam (76 runs) helped the team stay in the fight.

Rajaula, along with Mohammad Abbas, put on a magnificent partnership for the ninth wicket, scoring 121 runs, which allowed Pakistan to escape a difficult situation. Ultimately, Pakistan scored 449 runs in the second innings, setting a target of 130 runs against England. Rajaula reached 81 runs off 97 overs before being dismissed after being bowled by Dan Lawrence.

Rajaula equaled Tim Smith's record from New Zealand for the most sixes in one innings on a Test debut. Smith hit 9 sixes in his debut match against England in 2008. What was special for Rajaula was that he set a record for the highest number of sixes in a debut match on foreign soil. Previously, this record belonged to Kyle Myers of the West Indies, who hit 7 sixes in his debut match against Bangladesh in 2021.

His innings of 81 runs was also the largest score for a player coming in at number 9 in a debut Test match. He tied Corbin Bosch of South Africa, who scored an unbeaten 81 runs against Pakistan in 2024.

Rajaula's explosive performance also impacted the team's statistics. In the second innings, the Pakistan team collectively hit 12 sixes, which is the third-highest number of sixes hit by the Pakistan team in a single Test.

After his powerful innings, Rajaula stated that his goal was to bat for as long as possible. He mentioned that he utilized opportunities when the bowler delivered the ball into his preferred zone. Rajaula also shared that both his bats broke during the match, but he was not discouraged. He emphasized that when playing for one's country, there is no fear, and he enjoyed every moment on the field.

In the world of cricket, fast attacking players from Pakistan, such as Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Ibrahim Khan, and Shoaib Akhtar, once dominated, demonstrating outstanding results on the international stage. However, in recent years, the Pakistani team has lacked fast bowlers capable of intimidating batsmen with their speed.

A new hope for the Pakistani squad has emerged through 21-year-old Rajullah. On the first day of the Test against England in Birmingham (September 9), he displayed such a performance that he began to be compared to Waqar Younis.

This young fast bowler from Mardan took an LBW dismissal of England's captain and experienced batsman Joe Root on only his fourth ball in his career. Rajullah's main characteristic was his pace. In the first two overs, he reached speeds of up to 92 mph, and his tempo remained above 89 mph. His deliveries were distinguished not only by speed but also by aggression, which the attack of Pakistani fast bowlers had long lacked. At the end of the day, he also dismissed opener Emilio Gay, taking two wickets in his very first Test day.

Rajullah was included in the Pakistani team ahead of the final Test match of the tour in England. Following crushing defeats in the previous two Tests, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made significant changes to the squad, sacking head coach Sarfar Zahid and sending seven players home. Rajullah became one of five inexperienced players included in the team to replace these athletes and fully capitalized on this sudden opportunity at Edgbaston.

Rajullah's path to international cricket was short but rapid. He was noticed by Abdul Rahman, the regional coach from Mardan, while he was playing for the Mardan district team. After that, he was given the opportunity to play in the Qaide-Azam tournament for the Peshawar region. In his first season of the Qaide-Azam tournament in 2025-26, he took 30 wickets in eight matches. Notably, besides bowling, he proved his usefulness as a batsman, scoring half-centuries and centuries in different matches.

Subsequently, he got the chance to play for Rawalpindi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). During training at the Akib Javed National Cricket Academy, PCB's Director of High Performance, he closely studied his bowling and was impressed by his talent. At the end of August, Rajullah was invited to the PCB fast bowlers' training camp, which included 12 fast bowlers. Subsequently, interim coach Mike Hesson was also impressed by his potential and decided to include him in the Test team.

In the third match of the series, the Pakistani batsmen disappointed again, and the entire team was bowled out for 133 runs in the first innings. The task then was to stop a strong English attack against the bowlers. Rajullah impressed with his pace, but the other bowlers proved ineffective. On the first day, England scored 156 runs, losing 4 batsmen.