Dawid Malan replaces Babar Azam as world's top-ranked T20 batsman

England's Dawid Malan has replaced Babar Azam as the world's best T20 batsman in the ICC's latest T20 rankings.

Malan, who remains without a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board, was fifth in the previous standings but scored a series-leading 129 runs across the three encounters with Australia.

Having amassed a combined 108 in the first two T20s, Malan had a higher average than Virat Kohli - the highest T20 ranked batsman of all time - though his average has slipped to 48.71 from his 16 internationals after he was out for 21 on Tuesday.

His previous highest place in the rankings was second last year but Malan has now gone ahead of Pakistan captain Babar by eight points.

Babar, Australia captain Aaron Finch, India's KL Rahul and New Zealand's Colin Munro make up the rest of the top five.

Dawid Malan rises to No.1 The England batsman, who topped the run-scoring charts in the #ENGvAUS series, has jumped four places on the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's T20I Rankings pic.twitter.com/rLvECHFigb

— ICC (@ICC) September 9, 2020

Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan remains the top-ranked T20 bowler, though England's leg spinner Adil Rashid has moved up two spots to seventh in a top 10 that features just one seamer - Australia's Kane Richardson in 10th.

There was no change at the top of the all-rounder rankings either, with Rashid's international team-mate Mohammad Nabi remaining ahead of Australia's Glenn Maxwell, who moved up to second above Zimbabwe's Sean Williams.