Shaheen Afridi becomes No.1 ODI bowler

Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Afridi become World No.1 ODI bowler as the green shirt dominated the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings.

Afridi, who secured eight wickets with an average of 12.62 during Pakistan’s landmark ODI series win against Australia, moved up three positions to surpass South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, who fell two spots to third, while Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan remained in second place.

Previously, Afridi had held the top position during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

His fellow bowler, Haris Rauf, awarded Player of the Series in Pakistan’s 2-1 triumph over Australia, advanced 14 places to 13th and achieved a career-best rating in the format, while teammate Naseem also climbed to a new high as he moved up 14 spots to a shared 55th.

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With Afridi’s ascent to the highest rank, both the top players in batting and bowling rankings are now from Pakistan, as star batsman Babar Azam maintained his lead.

The right-handed batsman increased his margin over India’s Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli by scoring 80 runs across three matches against Australia, where he was dismissed only once.

Pakistan’s newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan also made progress, rising two positions to a joint 23rd in the ODI batting rankings after accumulating 74 runs in three innings against Australia.