Shaheen Afridi back as No.1 in ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings

Shaheen Afridi of Pakistan has regained his top spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings after being instrumental in his team’s historic 2-1 series win against Australia, which is the first such victory in the nation since 2002.

His impressive three-for-26 and three-for-32 performances in the second and third games propelled him up three spots to the top of the rankings with 696 rating points.

Shaheen Afridi regains the top rank for the first time since October 31, 2023, overtaking South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, who has dropped two spots to third place.

In the second game, Haris Rauf, his teammate and Player of the Series, went five for 29 and moved up 14 spots to a career-high 13th place with 618 points.

After 18 months, West Indies captain Shai Hope made a comeback to the top 10 of the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings after his team defeated England 2-1 in the series. He gained two spots, reaching 10th place with 665 points.

As a result of their centuries in the third game, Hope’s teammates Keacy Carty (128 off 114 balls) and Brandon King (102 from 117 balls) have achieved career-high rankings of 52nd and 71st in the batters list, respectively. Meanwhile, England’s Matthew Forde broke into the top 100 of the men’s bowlers list with three for 35 in the series decider, ranking 94th.

Although Bangladesh lost the series to Afghanistan 2-1, Najmul Hossain and Mahmudullah made notable progress on the batting list. With 604 points, Najmul jumped 11 places to share 23rd place with Mohamad Rizwan of Pakistan. Mahmudullah moved up 10 spots to share 44th place (533 points) with Mitchell Marsh of Australia, who dropped four spots.

Player of the Series Mohammad Nabi maintained his top status on the all-rounders list with his outstanding 135 runs and two wickets in the series, while Mehedy Hasan Miraz rose nine spots on the bowlers list to share 23rd place with South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi (556 points).

Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka advanced four spots to second place (696 points) in the ICC Men’s T20I Rankings for bowlers following his incredible four for 17 performance against New Zealand at Dambulla in the second T20. Adil Rashid continues to hold the top spot with 725 rating points.

Hasaranga’s teammates, Nuwan Thushara (up 28 spots to 48th rank) and Matheesha Pathirana (up 22 spaces to joint 31st), have both achieved career-best rating point totals of 506 and 556, respectively.

Lockie Ferguson, a teammate, moved up 10 ranks to 15th place after his hat-trick at Dambulla, while Mitchell Santner of New Zealand moved up 4 spots to 13th place (624 points).

The top-ranked all-rounder, Liam Livingstone, is still at a career-high 259 points after scoring an undefeated 23 and taking 2-16 in the second Twenty20 match against the West Indies at Bridgetown. Meanwhile, England’s Jofra Archer is set to make his first appearance among the world’s top 20 bowlers after a 10-slot jump to 21st place (588 points).

Phil Salt of England is getting closer to Travis Head, the leader in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, following his undefeated 103 in the opening game of the series against the West Indies. Jos Buttler moved to a career-high 726 points in sixth place after making a welcome comeback to form with an 83 in the second game.

With an innings of 107 in the first game of the current T20I series between South Africa and India, Sanju Samson rose 27 spots to 39th place with 537 points.

Also Read: Mohammad Rizwan sets eyes on T20I whitewash over Australia after ODI success

Additionally, Tristan Stubbs has improved, moving up 12 spots to 26th place (587 points) after his undefeated 47 in the second game in Gqeberha.