West Indies batsman Lewis is in Twenty20 top five

West Indies batsman Lewis is in Twenty20 top five
Associated Press / Kirsty Wigglesworth, File

Attacking West Indies opener Evin Lewis has climbed into the top five of the ICC Twenty20 batting rankings, but champion off-spinner Sunil Narine has slipped to four places to l8th in the bowling rankings.

In the latest rankings released recently, the left-handed Lewis has moved one place to fifth, on 753 rating points.

The West Indies left-hander has emerged as one of the Windies most dependable batsmen in the short format of the game, following his debut two years ago.

In his last three T20 Internationals innings, he has struck a century and two half centuries.

Lewis, 26, is the only Caribbean player in the top 20, with veteran right-hander Marlon Samuels the next highest ranked batsman at 24th.

In the bowling rankings leg-spinner Samuel Badree has remained steady at number four, despite taking two wickets in his last four T20 internationals.

Badree, 37, once the top-rated bowler, now sits behind number one Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, with another leg-spinner Shadab Khan of Pakistan in the second spot.

Narine, 30, is one of the world’s finest spinners in the shortest format but has not played for West Indies since the one-off T20 Internationals against England last September.

He and Badree are the only two Windies players in the top 20, with Captain Carlos Braithwaite the next best at 26th.