Pakistan’s star fast bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, has regained the top spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings. Afridi’s remarkable performance in Pakistan’s historic 2-1 series victory over Australia, where he claimed eight wickets at an impressive average of 12.62, saw him move up three places, surpassing South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, who dropped to third. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan remained in second.
Shaheen Afridi had briefly held the top position during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India but lost it afterward. In addition to Afridi’s rise, his bowling partner Haris Rauf made significant progress, advancing 14 spots to a career-high 13th position, following his Player of the Series performance against Australia.
Naseem Shah also achieved a personal best, climbing 14 places to reach 55th in the rankings. As a result, Pakistan now dominates both the top ODI bowling and batting rankings, with star batsman Babar Azam continuing his reign at the top. Azam extended his lead over India’s Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, after scoring 80 runs in three matches against Australia, where he was dismissed only once.
Pakistan’s newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan also saw a rise in the ODI batting rankings, jumping two places to 23rd, thanks to his consistent 74 runs in three innings against Australia. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, who is nearing the end of his ODI career, maintained his position at the top of the all-rounder rankings, followed by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Rashid Khan.
