Pakistani left-arm bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi saw an improvement in his ICC ODI rankings following the latest update on Wednesday. Afridi delivered an outstanding performance in the ICC World Cup 2023, securing 18 wickets in nine innings, including a notable five-for.
As the standout bowler for Pakistan in the mega event, Afridi, who was previously ranked 10th, moved up one position and now holds the ninth spot in the ICC ODI bowling rankings.
Maintaining his top position, South Africa’s left-arm off-spinner Keshav Maharaj retained the leading position in the bowling rankings after an impressive display in the World Cup, where he claimed 15 wickets with an economy rate of 4.15.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Josh Hazlewood and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan also ascended by one rank in the bowling rankings.
In the batting rankings, India’s Shubman Gill continues to hold the top spot, but the gap between him and Pakistan’s Babar Azam has narrowed to just two ratings.
The ICC stated, “Gill (826 rating points) holds on to a narrow lead at the top of the batter rankings, and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (824) remains second, but Kohli (791) and India skipper Rohit Sharma (up one spot to fourth with 769 rating points) are now within striking distance after some strong performances during the World Cup,” the ICC said in a statement.
“Kohli famously held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 1258 consecutive days during a reign of almost four years between 2017 and 2021, with Babar spending the majority of time in the premier position in recent years until Gill claimed top billing during the World Cup.
“The rise of the India duo means South Africa opener Quinton de Kock drops two spots to fifth on the ODI batter rankings, with New Zealand right-hander Daryl Mitchell rising five spots to sixth on the back of his 552 runs at the World Cup.”