Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan’s captain, now sits fifth in the ICC one-day international bowling standings. The latest update, published on Wednesday, also lifted opener Fakhar Zaman and fast bowler Haris Rauf.
All three players improved their positions after strong showings in the recently concluded ODI tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka.
Afridi and Rauf push up the bowling standings
Afridi finished as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker, claiming 10 wickets in five matches. He moved up one place to fifth with 621 rating points.
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Rauf made a bigger leap, gaining five places to 24th after taking seven wickets in five matches during the series. Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, however, fell one spot to fourth because he did not play in any of Pakistan’s matches in the event.
At the top, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan remains the leading bowler, with South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj second.
Fakhar Zaman’s century drives his batting gain
Fakhar was Pakistan’s biggest mover in the batting rankings, rising nine places to 37th with 548 rating points. His climb followed a standout hundred against Sri Lanka, scored at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in the series decider.
The left-hander made 127 runs from 99 deliveries, hitting 11 fours and six sixes. The knock ended a three-year wait for an ODI century and was his first in the format since an unbeaten 126 versus New Zealand at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. It also marked a sharp turnaround for the veteran, who had struggled for runs earlier in the series.
Babar Azam and other Pakistan batters hold or slip
Former captain Babar Azam kept his place as Pakistan’s highest-ranked ODI batter, remaining ninth with 661 points. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha stayed 13th on 622 points.
- Mohammad Rizwan, who is not part of Pakistan’s squads in any format, dropped two places to 44th with 532 points.
- Saim Ayub slipped four positions to joint 68th with 468 points.
- Shadab Khan fell one place to 93rd with 398 points.
At the summit, India captain Shubman Gill retained the number one spot with 841 points, ahead of New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell in second and India’s Virat Kohli in third.
