South Africa’s Connor Esterhuizen and Lhuan-dre Pretorius have made major strides in the latest ICC Men’s T20I rankings following their impressive performances in the recent tri-series involving Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Esterhuizen was among the biggest movers in the batting rankings, climbing 65 places to a career-best 25th position. The 25-year-old scored 126 runs during the tournament, with his most significant contribution coming against Namibia when he struck 88. Pretorius also enjoyed a sharp rise after an outstanding campaign in which he accumulated 226 runs from four innings. The 20-year-old moved up 61 places to a career-best joint 43rd. His performances included 94 against Zimbabwe and a maiden T20I century, a 101-run knock against Namibia. Pretorius, however, missed South Africa’s 48-run victory over Zimbabwe in the final because of a groin injury.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus was another notable beneficiary of the latest rankings update, advancing 16 positions to 55th among batters after unbeaten scores of 88 against Zimbabwe and 30 against South Africa. Opener Louren Steenkamp climbed 32 places to joint 73rd following his unbeaten 61 against South Africa. Erasmus also improved four positions in the all-rounder rankings to reach eighth, achieving a career-high rating after finishing the tri-series with 149 runs and five wickets.
Among the bowlers, Zimbabwe’s Brad Evans moved four places to joint 22nd after taking two wickets in each of three league matches and finishing the double-league stage with 10 wickets. Teammate Blessing Muzarabani climbed two positions to 30th, while South Africa’s Kwena Maphaka gained 16 places to reach joint 38th. Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin was another significant mover, jumping 37 positions to 78th.