LAHORE: Pakistan’s brief reign as the top team in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings came to an end only two days after they had claimed it for the first time in history, following their failure to secure a clean sweep against New Zealand in the final ODI match held in Karachi on May 7th.
The team had achieved the coveted No. 1 ranking on May 5th, after defeating New Zealand by a significant margin in the 4th ODI. However, their hopes of retaining the top position were dashed by New Zealand’s consolation win in the final match, causing them to drop from the summit.
As of May 7th, Australia leads the rankings, followed closely by India at No. 2, and Pakistan now finds itself at No. 3. Despite securing a commanding 4-1 victory in the 5-match series, Pakistan’s team captain, Babar, acknowledged that they fell short of their desired outcome.
In the final match, New Zealand won the toss and set a challenging target of 299 runs in 49.3 overs, with opening batsman Will Young scoring 91 runs from 87 balls. Although Pakistan’s batting lineup struggled, Agha Salman (57) and Iftikhar Ahmed (94 off 72 balls) fought bravely to keep their hopes alive, but their chase ultimately fell short in the closing stages, giving New Zealand their first victory in the ODI series.
