Pakistan face the threat of losing their number one spot in the Twenty20 International (T20I) rankings in the event of a three-nil whitewash at the hands of Australia in their upcoming series Down Under.

Meanwhile, Australia have a chance to climb to the top spot in the T20I rankings. The Aussies are currently placed at the fourth spot in the rankings with 262 points while the Men in Green are at the top with 274 points.

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The ongoing series between New Zealand and England is crucial for Australia’s chances of climbing to the top spot. Not only does Australia have to whitewash Pakistan three-nil, they also require the Kiwis to win at least one of their five T20Is against England so as to stop the team from climbing to the summit themselves.

Pakistan will face Australia in the first T20I at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday. The series will be the first time new captain Babar Azam will lead the T20I side replacing former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, after the latter was removed following the thee-nil whitewash of the Men in Green at the hands of a depleted Sri Lanka on home soil.