Babar, Shaheen Slip; Rizwan, Salman Shine in ICC Rankings

News Desk 

Islamabad: Pakistan’s newly appointed ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and star batter Babar Azam have dropped in the latest ICC One-Day International (ODI) rankings, while several other national players have climbed up the ladder following recent performances.

According to the updated ICC rankings released on Tuesday, Babar Azam slipped one place to fifth in the batting list with 728 rating points. In contrast, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and opener Fakhar Zaman each moved up a spot to 23rd and 26th positions, respectively.

Middle-order batter Salman Ali Agha made one of the biggest jumps, rising nine places to 30th after his match-winning knock against South Africa in the series opener. However, opener Imam-ul-Haq fell one place to 42nd, while young batter Saim Ayub maintained his 53rd spot with 509 points.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/pakistan-edge-south-africa-in-thrilling-finish-to-take-1-0-lead/

India’s Rohit Sharma retained his position as the top-ranked ODI batter, followed by Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran in second. New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell climbed to third, pushing India’s Shubman Gill down to fourth.

In the bowling rankings, Shaheen Afridi dropped one place to 15th with 587 points. His pace partner Naseem Shah, however, made significant progress—jumping 10 places to 33rd with 524 points. Spinner Abrar Ahmed rose to 37th, while all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz advanced three spots to 69th.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues to dominate the ODI bowling rankings, with South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj and England’s Jofra Archer occupying the second and third positions, respectively.

Pakistan held their nerve in a tense finish to defeat South Africa in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at Faisalabad, marking their fifth consecutive ODI win over the Proteas and the highest successful run chase ever recorded at the venue.

Despite some late drama, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s men chased down the target in the final over to give their captain a winning start to his ODI leadership.

Earlier, South Africa’s innings faltered after a steady start as they lost wickets in clusters, managing a total that captain Matthew Breetzke later admitted was “20–30 runs short.”

Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ promising knock and Quinton de Kock’s return were among the few bright spots for the visitors, while Pakistan’s bowlers kept them in check with disciplined spells.