Cricket Rankings Shake-up: Pakistan’s Afridi Tops ODI Bowlers, England’s Salt Rises in T20Is
In the latest ICC rankings, Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi has reclaimed the top spot among ODI bowlers, while England’s Phil Salt has moved up to number two in the T20I batting rankings.
Afridi Reaches the Summit in ODI Bowlers’ Rankings
Afridi’s impressive performances against Australia, where he picked up 8 wickets at an average of 12.62 in three matches, helped him surpass the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Rashid Khan, and Keshav Maharaj to reach the summit. This marks the second time Afridi has achieved the number one position in the ODI bowlers’ rankings, having briefly held the top spot during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Afridi’s seam-bowling partner, Haris Rauf, also made significant strides, climbing 14 spots to 13th position after bagging 10 wickets in the ODI series against Australia, earning him the Player-of-the-Series award. Another Pakistani pacer, Naseem Shah, also rose 14 places to a career-best 55th in the ODI bowlers’ rankings.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam Extends Lead in ODI Batting Rankings
In the ODI batting rankings, Pakistan’s Babar Azam further extended his lead at the top, with scores of 37, 15*, and 28* against Australia. The Indian trio of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli remain in the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively.
Gains in T20I Rankings
Among the T20I batters, England’s Phil Salt moved up one spot to second, while his teammate Jos Buttler and West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran also advanced one place to sixth and tenth, respectively. In the ongoing South Africa-India T20I series, India’s Sanju Samson continued his impressive run, scoring a 50-ball 107 in the first game, which saw him leap 27 positions to 39th in the rankings.
The T20I bowlers’ rankings also saw some changes, with Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga climbing four places to second, thanks to his performances against New Zealand. Akeal Hosein of the West Indies and India’s Ravi Bishnoi also made significant gains, rising to third and seventh, respectively.
“This marks the second time Afridi has achieved the number one position in the ODI bowlers’ rankings, having briefly held the top spot during the 2023 ODI World Cup.”
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