WEST INDIES: Pakistan’s top-order batter, Babar Azam, has dropped to third place in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings following a disappointing performance in the recent series against the West Indies.
Babar scored only 56 runs in three matches, averaging 18.66, which caused a decline in his overall rating to 751 points. As a result, India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma has overtaken him and now holds the second spot in the rankings.
Other Pakistani players also experienced a fall in the rankings. ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan dropped from 21st to 22nd place, earning 602 points. Opening batter Fakhar Zaman, who missed the West Indies ODIs due to injury, slid four places to 27th with 590 points.
Imam-ul-Haq and Agha Salman also saw their positions decline, dropping to 37th and 41st, respectively. Saim Ayub suffered the most significant fall among Pakistan’s batters, dropping nine places to 46th. However, opening batter Abdullah Shafique made a notable improvement, climbing seven places to 90th with 428 points.
In the ICC ODI bowlers’ rankings, left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi dropped to 13th place with 599 points after taking just four wickets in three matches. Haris Rauf fell three places to 27th, and Naseem Shah dropped to 43rd with 493 points. Spinner Abrar Ahmed climbed three places to 54th, while Mohammad Nawaz retained his 64th position. Mohammad Wasim Jr. fell four places to 71st.
Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana continues to dominate the ODI bowler rankings, maintaining the top spot, followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav in second and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj in third.
