In a significant shift in the International Cricket Council (ICC) men’s ODI bowling rankings, Afghanistan’s leg-spinner Rashid Khan has overtaken Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi as the top bowler. The latest rankings, released on Wednesday, confirmed South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj remains in third place.
Afridi, previously in the top position after claiming eight wickets at an average of 12.62 in Pakistan’s historic ODI series win over Australia, did not play in the ongoing series against Zimbabwe. His teammate, Haris Rauf, who played a key role in the victory over Australia, dropped two spots to 15th.
In batting, Pakistan’s emerging opener Saim Ayub, who scored a century in the recent 10-wicket win over Zimbabwe, surged 80 to 90th. The batting rankings continue to be led by Pakistan’s Babar Azam.
Meanwhile, India’s Jasprit Bumrah reclaimed the top position in the Test bowling rankings after a commanding performance in the first Test against Australia in Perth, where India secured a 295-run victory. Bumrah’s 8/72 in the match pushed him past Australia’s Josh Hazlewood and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, earning him a career-high 883 rating points, the highest for an Indian pacer in this format. Only spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have scored higher for India.
This marks the third occasion this year that Bumrah has topped the Test rankings, following stints in February and October.
On the batting side, India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, who scored centuries in the victory, also climbed the rankings. Jaiswal moved up to a career-best second position, trailing only Joe Root, while Kohli advanced nine places to 13th.
