ISLAMABAD: South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has climbed back to the top of the ICC ODI bowling rankings after a match-winning spell against Australia, while Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi has dropped out of the top 15.
The 35-year-old left-arm spinner was named player of the match after taking 5/33 in South Africa’s 98-run win over Australia in Cairns. The performance pushed Maharaj above India’s Kuldeep Yadav and Sri Lanka’s Mahesh Theekshana to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, which he briefly held in late 2023.
Sri Lanka’s Theekshana moved to second place while India’s Kuldeep moved to third. West Indies pacer Jayden Sales also made headlines, moving up 17 places to 19th after a brilliant 18/6 against Pakistan.
Pakistani bowlers struggle in the new rankings
No Pakistani bowlers feature in the top 10 of the latest ICC ODI rankings. Shaheen Afridi has dropped two places to 16th, while young leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed has moved up 18 places to joint 43rd.
West Indies’ Roston Chase also continued the Caribbean’s rise in the bowling charts, moving up seven places to 67th.
In batting, India’s Shubman Gill retained his number 1 position in the ODI rankings, with Pakistan’s Babar Azam in second place. West Indies captain Shai Hope moved up to seventh after his match-winning 120 not out against Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman are at 27th and 28th positions respectively.
Pakistani duo slipped in the T20 rankings
In the men’s T20 list, Babar Azam dropped to 18th while Rizwan dropped to 20th. South Africa’s rising star David Brewers jumped to 12th place, while Australia’s Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell rose to 25th and 30th.
In the bowling rankings, Australia’s Nathan Ellis (9th) and Josh Hazlewood (18th) moved up, while South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada moved up from 44th to 37th.
