Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi captured the top position in the ICC Men’s ODI Bowler Rankings just months before the ICC Champions Trophy.
The left-arm fast bowler’s stellar performance in the recent series against Australia, where he claimed eight wickets with an impressive average of 12.62, helped him reclaim this spot. Shaheen, who first reached the number one ranking during last year’s ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in India, moved up three places to surpass South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who remains in second place.
In the same series, Shaheen’s teammate, Haris Rauf, ascended 14 places to achieve a career-best 13th position after securing 10 wickets and earning the Player of the Series title. Additionally, another teammate, Naseem Shah, rose 14 spots to reach a career-high 55th position.
This achievement makes Pakistan the only nation with players leading in both the batting and bowling rankings in ODI cricket. Former captain Babar Azam strengthened his position at the top batter rankings by scoring 80 runs against Australia and getting out only once in the three-match series.
Pakistan’s new captain, Mohammad Rizwan, advanced two places to tie for 23rd in the ODI batter rankings after scoring 74 runs in the same series. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai also made notable advances in the batter rankings.
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In the ODI bowlers rankings, West Indies’ Gudakesh Motie climbed to 14th, while Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz improved nine spots to tie for 23rd. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi continues to lead the ODI all-rounders’ list, with Mehidy advancing to fourth and Omarzai climbing to ninth.
The T20I rankings also saw significant movement. England’s Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, and West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran moved up within the top ten batters. Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga ascended to second in the T20I bowler rankings, while Akeal Hosein from the West Indies and India’s Ravi Bishnoi entered the top ten.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, England’s Jofra Archer and Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana were among the biggest movers in the T20I bowler rankings. India’s Varun Chakravarthy made a significant leap into 64th place after a five-wicket haul against South Africa.
England’s Liam Livingstone maintained his position at the top of the T20I all-rounders’ rankings, with Hasaranga and Romario Shepherd of the West Indies also making notable advances.
