Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has broken into the top five of the International Cricket Council ODI bowling rankings, while opening batter Fakhar Zaman and fast bowler Haris Rauf have also made significant gains in the latest update released on Wednesday. The trio improved their positions following their standout performances in the recently concluded one-day international tri-series featuring England and Sri Lanka on home soil.
Afridi finished as the tournament's second-highest wicket-taker, claiming 10 wickets across five matches to climb one place to fifth in the ODI bowling rankings with 621 rating points. Fellow fast bowler Haris Rauf made a notable jump of five places to reach 24th position after picking up seven wickets in five matches during the tri-series. However, mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed slipped one place to fourth in the bowling rankings after failing to feature in any of Pakistan's matches during the competition.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan continues to occupy the top spot in the ODI bowling rankings, followed closely by South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj in second place. Among other notable bowlers, several international stars adjusted their positions following recent bilateral and triangular fixtures across the cricketing globe.
In the batting rankings, experienced opener Fakhar Zaman emerged as Pakistan's biggest mover, climbing nine places to 37th position with 548 rating points. The left-handed batter's rise came directly after his sensational century against Sri Lanka in the tri-series final held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Fakhar smashed 127 runs off just 99 deliveries, striking 11 fours and six sixes to end his three-year century drought in one-day international cricket.
The brilliant innings marked his first hundred in the format since his unbeaten 126 against New Zealand during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. This performance also highlighted a remarkable turnaround for the veteran opener, who had struggled for consistent runs earlier in the tri-series before delivering when it mattered most.
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam retained his position as the country's highest-ranked ODI batter, remaining in ninth place with 661 rating points. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha also maintained his 13th position with 622 points in the latest batting list. However, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, currently out of Pakistan's squads across formats, dropped two places to 44th with 532 points.
Young opener Saim Ayub suffered a decline, slipping four positions to joint 68th with 468 rating points, while all-rounder Shadab Khan dropped one place to 93rd with 398 points. At the very top of the ODI batting rankings, India captain Shubman Gill retained the number one position with 841 rating points. New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell remained second, while experienced Indian batsman Virat Kohli occupied third place.
The updated rankings reflect the shifting landscape of international one-day cricket as teams prepare for upcoming major global tournaments and bilateral series. Pakistan's players will look to build on these individual ranking improvements when they return to international action in the forthcoming months.
Join the conversation