In a significant shake-up in the ICC men’s ODI bowling rankings, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has dethroned Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi from the top spot. The new rankings, released on Wednesday, highlight this change as Afridi, who had claimed the number one position following his outstanding performance during Pakistan’s historic ODI series win over Australia, is now second.
Afridi’s impressive eight-wicket haul with an average of 12.62 was a key factor in his rise to the top. However, he has been rested for Pakistan’s ongoing series against Zimbabwe, which has contributed to his drop in rankings. Meanwhile, Haris Rauf, Afridi’s bowling partner, also slipped two positions to 15th after his significant role in the Australia series, where he was named Player of the Series.
In the ODI batting rankings, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub made an impressive leap, moving up 80 spots to 90th after his stunning century in Pakistan’s dominant 10-wicket win over Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Babar Azam remains at the helm as the top-ranked ODI batter.
Across other formats, India’s Jasprit Bumrah reclaimed the top position in the ICC Test bowling rankings after his exceptional performance in the opening Test of the series against Australia. Bumrah’s match figures of 8/72 helped him surpass both Josh Hazlewood of Australia and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada.
In batting, India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli saw significant improvement, with Jaiswal climbing to a career-best second position and Kohli rising nine places to 13th.
