What are the attributes that one must have to be called “The Best t20 Batsman“? With the format growing and changing rapidly over the period of time, the criteria for this has been changing at the same pace.

Since the first-ever T20 World Cup back in 2007, which India won comprehensively, the way batters have approached the game has changed, which led to a change in the entire outlook of this sport. This made the sport far more attractive for commoners with its reduced duration, the geographic expansion job got a lot easier.

Many countries like Ireland, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, Oman, UAE, Scotland, Kenya, Bahrain, Germany, Qatar, Philippines, Malta, Nepal, Bermuda, Namibia, Canada etc., have kindled or rekindled their love affair with Cricket with the shorter format taking out the tier system and giving equal status to nearly all countries that play this sport.

The rise of Afghanistan over the years has been one of the great stories of the game, and that is largely down to the existence of the T20 format.

The likes of Oman and Scotland produced spirited performances during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, which finished with Australia taking the crown after a brilliant finale against New Zealand. Whilst Scotland made it to the Super 12 stages, Oman fell just short.

The game has been tilting more and more towards the batters’ favour due to this transition. During the ICC T20 World Cup in UAE, we saw some outrageous T20 batting from a lot of the men involved, from players of the tournament David Warner to Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam of Pakistan.

Despite the pandemic halting a lot of sports, we did see a fair amount of T20 cricket in recent months, which gives us a fair picture of who the best batters are in world cricket right now. Let’s take a look at the highest-ranked T20 batsman in the world currently.

Best T20 batsman: ICC rankings in T20 internationals (top 10)

Babar Azam (Pakistan) | 805 points

During the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Babar Azam exhibited some stellar T20 batting and helped his side thrash India, Afghanistan and Namibia in the process. He finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament and has been scoring plenty of runs since then in this format.

He currently has the top spot in the ICC T20 bat with 805 points to his credit in the ICC T20I batting rankings. One of the biggest names in world cricket right now, the captain of Pakistan is keen on keeping these standards high over the coming years.

Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) | 798 points

Mohammad Rizwan’s ranking in this format is second only to his opening partner Babar Azam, and not by a huge distance. Rizwan and Azam have stitched some memorable partnerships lately, the most notable one against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. The 29-year-old currently averages 51.22 in T20Is.

Rizwan managed another big score against Australia in the World Cup a few months ago in the semifinal, which unfortunately came in a losing cause. Some of his best years are yet to arrive and the promise he’s shown until now makes his admirers dream of bigger things in the future.

Aiden Markram (South Africa) | 796 points

In T20I cricket, Aiden Markram from South Africa has been in devastating touch lately and has been averaging just under 40 with a strike rate of 147. His fireworks helped South Africa defeat some of the big guns like England and West Indies in the World Cup last year in UAE.

He finds himself third in the ICC T20I batting rankings, with 796 points. Having achieved a decent reputation at 27, he is also a contender to captain South Africa in the future across all formats.

Dawid Malan (England) | 728 points

Dawid Malan has been one of the best batters for England in T20 cricket lately. He has produced a lot of fireworks in multiple bilateral outings for England and looks well set to establish his position as one of the best T20 batsmen in the world.

Malan has found himself at the top of the ICC T20 batting rankings a few times before, but currently, he is 4th with 728 points.

Devon Conway (New Zealand) | 703 points

Devon Conway averages 50 plus across formats thus far in his career and the dashing opener from New Zealand, who arrived a little late on the international stage, is keen on making a strong impression in the coming years. Contrary to his ranking, he did not have the best outing in the ICC T20 World Cup in UAE but made a crucial contribution against England in the semifinal.

Conway has had some terrific bilateral outings for New Zealand, which keeps him in the fifth spot in the ICC T20 batting rankings with 703 points.

Aaron Finch (Australia) | 679 points

Aaron Finch led Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title in UAE, after defeating New Zealand in the final. Although he did not do well in the recent ICC tournament, he has contributed profusely with the bat lately for Australia’s success, and his great run of fun reflects on his ranking.

His ranking among the best in the business right now is 6th with 679 points. He will be in India soon to feature in IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa) | 669 points

Rassie van der Dussen played some stupendous knocks for South Africa in the T20 World Cup, including a breathtaking 94 against England. Besides that, he has averaged over 70 in ODI cricket and nearly 40 in T20Is.

The hard-hitting Pretorian is 7th in the ICC T20I batting rankings currently and has a great scope of escalating further. He will be representing Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

Martin Guptill (New Zealand) | 658 points

Martin Guptill has been omnipresent in the New Zealand setup for many years now, and he continues to remain high up in the T20I rankings despite not having the best of time with the bat.

Guptill, whose ranking is second among the highest run-scorers in this format of the game, finds himself in the 8th position with 658 points.

Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka) | 654 points

Sri Lanka, who reached the T20 World Cup finals thrice and won it in 2014, have been struggling to make their presence felt at the highest level. However, Pathum Nissanka finds himself a place in the top 10 T20 batters in the world, making him the only representative here from Sri Lanka.

Nissanka has shown great promise in his short career thus far, and looks well capable of being a top cricketer for Sri Lanka in the future. He is currently ranked 9th in T20Is among batsmen.

Lokesh Rahul (India) | 646 points

India always had a major representation in these rankings, but due the reduced number of T20I games played, KL Rahul is the only one who is in top 10. KL Rahul got a couple of half-centuries against Afghanistan and Namibia in the T20 World Cup.

Rahul has 646 points to his credit, hence, you can find him in the 10th spot in these rankings.

FAQs

Who is the best batsman in India?

KL Rahul (IND) currently has the best rating among batters from India.

Who is the best T20 batsman of 2021?

Dawid Malan of England finished as the best-rated T20 batsman of 2021.

Who is first in the T20 batsman ranking?

Babar Azam (Pakistan) is currently ranked number one in T20 Batsman rankings.