Pandya near 100 T20I wickets, eyeing 1,000/100 vs Bangladesh

Hardik Pandya is three wickets short of becoming only the second Indian to reach 100 T20 international wickets and could also complete a rare double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets during India’s Asia Cup Super Four match against Bangladesh in Dubai on Wednesday, tournament reports and official rankings data show. Pandya enters the game with 97 wickets in 118 T20Is and 1,820 runs from 92 innings, and would join Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi as the only male players to record at least 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the format.

Pandya’s recent form in the Asia Cup has been mixed. He has taken three wickets across four matches at an average near 33, and in India’s Super Four win over Pakistan he returned figures of 1 for 29 in three overs. He remains India’s leading allrounder in the ICC T20I allrounder rankings and also gained ground in the bowling list, moving up six places to 60, according to the latest ICC update released Wednesday.

The same rankings update highlighted a sharp rise for Pakistan legspinner Abrar Ahmed, who jumped 12 places to fourth in the ICC Men’s T20I bowling chart after a productive week in the United Arab Emirates. Abrar’s rise...