ICC has announced that the current ODI top-ranking bowlers and Pakistani star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have secured the top spot. Yes, you read it right: Shaheen is back with his delightful form and has showcased his great bowling skills.
Over the past few years, ever since he caught himself with a severe injury that cost the Pakistan cricket team a big blow. Even though he recovered for the 2022 T20 World Cup, he again got injured in the final against England, which the British side had won twice.
After that recovery, Shaheen wasn’t the same at all. Looking back at his previous spells, even in the ICC World Cup 2023, he was a disaster and wasn’t performing like he used to. But it looks like the Pakistani star pacer has got his form back, and he showed there’s a lot of fuel still left.
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Afridi Tops ODI Bowler Rankings
Shaheen Afridi’s impressive eight-wicket haul at an average of 12.62 in three matches against Australia has pushed him to the top of the ODI bowler rankings, surpassing Kuldeep Yadav, Rashid Khan, and Keshav Maharaj. Rashid holds the second spot, Maharaj has dropped to third, and Kuldeep has moved down to fourth. This is Afridi’s second time leading the ODI rankings, having first reached the top briefly during the 2023 World Cup.
Afridi’s bowling partner, Haris Rauf, also made significant progress, climbing 14 places to rank 13th after taking 10 wickets in the series against Australia, which earned him the Player of the Series award. Naseem Shah gained 14 spots as well, reaching a career-best 55th.
Babar Azam Stays Ahead in ODI Batter Rankings
Babar Azam’s recent scores of 37, 15*, and 28* have helped him increase his lead as the No. 1 ODI batter, staying well ahead of India’s Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, who hold second, third, and fourth positions, respectively.
