Travis Head replaces Suryakumar as top T20 batter, Bumrah moves to 24 in ICC rankings
Dubai, Jun 26: Australia opener Travis head on Wednesday toppled India's Suryakumar Yadav as the number one batter in the latest ICC T20 rankings.
Suryakumar was holding the number one spot since December 2023 but Head's splendid run at the T20 World Cup catapulted him to the top even as his team has been knocked out.
Head scored 255 runs with two half centuries, including a 76 against India in a Super Eight contest.
The Australian is two points ahead of Suryakumar (842 points) who dropped a spot to second. However, he has a chance to reclaim the numero uno position as India's campaign at the T20 World Cup is still alive.
England's Phil Salt and the Pakistan duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan round up the top 5 batters.
West Indies' Johnson Charles is the only new arrival into the top 10, up by four spots, with Afghanistan star Rahmanullah Gurbaz a place lower after going up five spots.
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah jumped a whopping 44 places to zoom to 24th spot while spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also climbed 20 places to be just outside the top-10 at 11th.
Spin all-rounder Axar Patel, who has moved up to eighth, remains the top-ranked Indian bowler.
England's Adil Rashid remains on top of the bowling rankings, but Rashid Khan is up to second after his T20 World Cup heroics, with Josh Hazlewood moving up three places into fourth, behind Hasaranga.
Marcus Stoinis has been knocked off the top spot in the all-rounders' rankings after his short stay as No. 1. He is Stoinis down to fourth, with India's Hardik Pandya up to third, Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan in second, and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga back to top spot.
Roston Chase of West Indies is the big mover among all-rounders, up 17 places to 12th.
Meet the new No.1 in the ICC Men's T20I Batting Rankings 🌟
— ICC (@ICC) June 26, 2024
More 👉 https://t.co/HDfdIUupxH pic.twitter.com/54YuSt4fYu
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
India, New Zealand ink free trade agreement
New Delhi (PTI): India and New Zealand on Monday inked a free trade agreement, aimed at boosting two-way commerce and investments.
The pact was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and visiting New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay.
The FTA provides duty-free access for 100 per cent of India's exports to New Zealand, covering all tariff lines or produce categories, and is expected to significantly boost MSMEs and employment by enhancing competitiveness in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods.
Earlier, New Zealand maintained peak tariffs of up to 10 per cent on key Indian exports, including ceramics, carpets, automobiles, and auto components.
With zero-duty market access from entry into force as New Zealand's other trade partners, Indian products will be fully competitive in that country, enjoying a level playing field.
ALSO READ: Cal HC urges EC to dispose of TMC complaint over police observer's meeting with BJP nominee
Significantly, India also secured duty-free inputs for its manufacturing sector, including wooden logs, coking coal, and waste and scraps of metals, lowering production costs and enhancing the global competitiveness of the Indian industry.
On the other hand, India has offered tariff liberalisation on 70.03 per cent of tariff lines covering 95 per cent of bilateral trade value, while keeping 29.97 per cent of tariff lines excluded to protect India's sensitive sectors.
The products that are kept in exclusion are mainly -- dairy (milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, cheese etc.), animal products (other than sheep meat), agricultural products (onions, chana, peas, corn, almonds), sugar, artificial honey, animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils, arms and ammunition, gems and jewellery, copper and articles thereof (cathodes, cartridges, rods, bars, coils), aluminium and articles thereof (ingots, billets, wire bars) among others.
On 30 per cent of tariff lines of New Zealand, India will provide duty elimination on goods such as wood, wool, sheep meat, and leather-raw hides.
Similarly, 35.60 per cent of tariff lines are subject to phased elimination over 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, including petroleum oil, malt extract, vegetable oils, selected electrical and mechanical machinery, and peptones.
New Zealand products which enjoy tariff reductions include wine, pharmaceutical drugs, polymers, aluminum, iron and steel articles, and goods that only 0.06 per cent fall under tariff rate quotas, including Manuka honey, apples, kiwi fruit, and albumins, including milk albumin.
The FTA also includes a commitment to facilitate USD 20 billion in investment into India.
A rebalancing clause is incorporated into the Agreement to provide a framework for addressing any shortfall in investment delivery, thereby ensuring robust and tangible economic outcomes.
Total bilateral trade in goods and services reached USD 2.4 billion in 2024.
