DUBAI – In a major setback, Pakistan’s ace batsman Babar Azam lost the top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) men’s ODI batting rankings after nearly four years.
The right-hand batter has been dethroned by India’s start batsman Shubman Gill, who stood at the first spot with 796 points.
Babar Azam slipped one place to second spot with 773 points. He is followed by Indian player Rohit Sharma at third spot with 761 points.
This is the second time Gill has held the No.1 ranking in ODI cricket, with the India batter having also gone past Babar to claim top spot midway through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023.
Gill has been in excellent form of late, with his century against England in Ahmedabad during the third ODI of the recently concluded series enough to catapult the 25-year-old to the top of the rankings.
New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell (up two places to fifth) and Sri Lanka dasher Charith Asalanka (up eight spots to eighth) also make ground inside the top 10, while Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan climbs six places to 15th with a new career-high rating.
New Zealand duo Devon Conway (up five rungs to 35th) and Glenn Phillips (up six places to 41st) also make good ground on the list for ODI batters this week, with in-form Pakistan right-hander Salman Agha jumping 24 spots to 48th on the back of good displays in the recent Tri-Nation series.
Things are just as tight in the latest Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings, with Theekshana gaining top spot from Rashid on the back of an excellent series on home soil against Australia.
