AHMEDABAD: India’s aggressive opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck for the third consecutive time in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, equalling an unwanted record in the tournament’s history.
In India’s final group-stage match in Ahmedabad, Sharma was clean bowled for zero in the first over by Netherlands bowler Dutt. This marks the third consecutive time that Sharma has recorded a zero score in the current World Cup.
Sharma recorded two ducks earlier in the tournament when he played against the United States and Pakistan. Sharma’s third consecutive zero score has thus equalized the record for the most successive ducks in T20 World Cup history.
The previous record which should not have existed was maintained by Ashish Nehra who played for India because he got out without scoring in three straight matches during the tournament’s past edition.
Sharma has established another record because he has now achieved the most ducks by an Indian batsman during a single calendar year in T20 International matches. Sharma has received five zero dismissals until now in 2026.
The record belonged to Sanju Samson, who achieved five ducks during the 2024 season.
New ICC rankings out — Pakistani star reclaims no 1 spot
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued the latest ICC T20 Player Rankings, and Pakistan’s young all-rounder Saim Ayub has once again taken the first position and has become the world’s number one all-rounder.
According to the new list released, Saim Ayub has achieved the top position thanks to his recent excellent performance. He surpassed Zimbabwe’s experienced all-rounder Sikandar Raza to take the top position.
Saim Ayub’s performance in recent matches has been exceptional. Especially in the important match against India, he bowled well and dismissed three important players, due to which his rating points increased significantly, and he came to the top of the rankings.
Sikandar Raza has come to the second position in the latest list, while India’s Hardik Pandya is also among the prominent all-rounders. Australia’s Marcus Stoinis is fourth, and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan remains in fifth position.
According to cricket experts, Saim Ayub’s continuously improving performance as an all-rounder is very encouraging for the national team, as he is playing an effective role in both batting and bowling.
