ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Pakistan’s fiery pacer, Shaheen Afridi, has ascended to the coveted No. 1 ranking in the ODI Bowling Rankings. Afridi’s sensational performances in the tournament have earned him this prestigious title, making him the best ODI bowler in the world.
Afridi, who has been in sensational form, is currently the joint leading wicket-taker in the Cricket World Cup, alongside Australia’s spinner Adam Zampa, with both players having taken an impressive 16 wickets each. He further solidified his claim to the top spot by taking three more crucial wickets during Pakistan’s recent victory over Bangladesh in Kolkata. This not only helped Pakistan keep their semi-final hopes alive but also propelled the 23-year-old left-armer past nine of his contemporaries, securing the No. 1 ranking.
In the latest ODI Bowling Rankings, Australia’s Josh Hazlewood slipped to second place, India’s Mohammed Siraj to third, and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj to fourth, all due to Afridi’s extraordinary ascent. On the other hand, spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Mujeeb Ur Rahman gained two places each inside the top 10.
This remarkable achievement marks the first time that Shaheen Afridi has held the No. 1 ranking in any format, highlighting his exceptional skill and consistency. Remarkably, this achievement coincides with another feat for Pakistan, as their skipper, Babar Azam, has retained his top spot in the ODI batting rankings.
However, Babar Azam’s lead at the top has narrowed to just two rating points, partly due to his recent innings of just nine runs against Bangladesh. He has accumulated a total of 216 runs from seven innings in the World Cup. His closest challenger, India’s Shubman Gill, has yet to capitalize with only 104 runs from four knocks.
The competition among the top batters continues to intensify, with Australia’s experienced opener, David Warner, rising to fourth place with 413 runs in the World Cup, and India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, climbing three spots to fifth after scoring 398 runs in the tournament.
Notably, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards has made an eye-catching move on the list for ODI batters, catapulting up 11 places to equal 16th after accumulating 204 runs from six innings at the World Cup.
In the all-rounder rankings, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan maintains his lead, while South Africa’s left-armer Marco Jansen rises two spots to ninth, and New Zealand’s young talent, Rachin Ravindra, climbs an impressive 14 spots to 17th. The race for supremacy in ODI cricket remains intense and thrilling as these players continue to shine on the world stage.
