Stoinis overtakes Nabi to become top-ranked T20 all rounder
Dubai: Australia's Marcus Stoinis on Wednesday toppled Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi as the No.1 all-rounder in the latest ICC T20 rankings.
Stoinis snared six wickets and also made valuable contribution with the bat to help Australia cruise to the Super Eights in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
While Stoinis climbs a spot to become the premier all-rounder, Nabi dropped three places with Sri Lanka skipper Wanindu Hasaranga and Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan also rising to the second and third spot respectively.
West Indies' bowlers have shone the brightest so far in the tournament and the rankings reflect that.
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has moved six places to be second in the bowlers' list led by England spinner Adil Rashid.
Alzarri Joseph has also moved up six spaces to 11th, while teammate Gudakesh Motie has surged 16 spots up the rankings into 13th.
India's Suryakumar Yadav retained his spot as the top-ranked batter in the shortest format with Phil Salt, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are static on second third and fourth respectively.
Australian opener Travis Head is up five places to fifth, while West Indies wicketkeeper batter Nicholas Pooran has jumped eight places to 11th.
West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford leapfrogged 43 places to 42nd.
Top of the rankings and in top form as we head into the Super Eights stage of the #T20WorldCup 💪
— ICC (@ICC) June 19, 2024
All the rankings âž¡ https://t.co/M9XQVJbBCT pic.twitter.com/aDC4t0n6vs
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
