(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Babar Azam Slips to Third in Latest ICC ODI Rankings, Rohit Sharma Moves Up
Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam has dropped to third place in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after a below-par outing in the recent series against the West Indies.
Babar could manage only 56 runs in three matches at an average of 18.66, causing his rating points to dip to 751. This allowed India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma to overtake him and claim the second spot, while the top position remains unchanged.
Pakistan’s ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan also saw a minor setback, slipping from 21st to 22nd with 602 points. Opening batter Fakhar Zaman, who missed the series due to injury, fell four places to 27th with 590 points. Imam-ul-Haq and Agha Salman dropped to 37th and 41st, respectively, while Saim Ayub faced the biggest fall among Pakistani batters, sliding nine spots to 46th. On the positive side, Abdullah Shafique jumped seven places to 90th with 428 points.
In the ODI bowlers’ rankings, Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi slipped one place to 13th with 599 points after taking four wickets in three matches. Haris Rauf fell three places to 27th, Naseem Shah dropped to 43rd with 493 points, while spinner Abrar Ahmed rose three spots to 54th. Mohammad Nawaz retained 64th place, and Mohammad Wasim Jr dropped to 71st.
Globally, Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana remains the world’s number one ODI bowler, followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav in second, and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj in third.
