Babar Azam retains top spot, Virat Kohli remains second in ICC ODI Rankings

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has retained his top spot, while opener Imam-ul-Haq has risen to No.3 in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings for batting, following dominating performances in the three-match series against the Aaron Finch-led Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Pakistan rallied from a 0-1 deficit to win the ODI series 2-1.

Meanwhile, Team India batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in second and fourth positions respectively in the ODI rankings.

Shaheen Afridi continues to climb
 Imam-ul-Haq makes significant gains

Pakistan players make major movements in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s Player Rankings for ODIs and Tests after #PAKvAUS series 

Details   pic.twitter.com/dxVyiF78oK

— ICC (@ICC) April 6, 2022

South African captain Dean Elgar, after scoring two half-centuries in the first Test against Bangladesh is one of the players to gain a few spots in the latest ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings. Elgar’s scores of 67 and 64 in the opening Test have seen him move up three spots, up to No.13.

The Proteas won the Test by 220 runs after dismissing Bangladesh for just 53 in the second innings at Durban.

Another star performer from the match was Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who became the first Bangladesh batter to score a Test ton against South Africa. His maiden century in just his third Test helped him jump 37 spots to No.66.

Meanwhile, there aren’t any changes in the list of the top-10 batters, with Australian Marnus Labuschagne still sitting at the top, followed by fellow countryman Steve Smith and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson in the third position.

In the bowling charts, Australia Test captain Pat Cummins still tops the list followed by the India duo of Ravichandran Ashwin in the second spot and Jasprit Bumrah in the third. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, who is unavailable for their home Test series against Bangladesh, slipped one spot and now stands at No.4, along with Shaheen Afridi who made a one-spot jump.

South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj, after his heroics in the first Test against Bangladesh, has moved up two spots to No.28, after registering figures of 7/32 in the second innings. Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan also gained four spots to join England’s Chris Woakes at No.31 after figures of 3/94 and 3/85 in the Durban Test.

The all-rounders’ chart remained unchanged with no significant gains. India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja maintains his top spot, followed by Ashwin at No.2 and West Indies’ Jason Holder at No.3.

In the ODI rankings, Pakistani skipper Babar Azam further consolidated his No.1 ODI batter status. Babar smashed back-to-back centuries against Australia and made 276 runs during the three-match series at an average of 138.

Pakistani left-hander batter Imam-ul-Haq is the biggest mover in the ODI rankings. His top form against Australia in the recently concluded ODI series has helped him move up seven spots to No.3. Imam remained the highest run-getter of the series, scoring 298 runs in three matches at a stellar average of 149.

Meanwhile, Australia skipper Aaron Finch, who has recently struggled to find his rhythm, has slipped three spots to No.10. Travis Head who made full use of the opportunity to open innings for Australia, managed to gain five spots to No.34.

In the bowling charts, Shaheen Afridi after his recent performance against Pakistan has made huge gains to make it into the top 10 in the ODI Rankings. Afridi gained eight spots and now stands at No.7 on the list topped by New Zealand’s Trent Boult.

Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa, after the ODI series against Pakistan, has slipped five spots and now stands outside the top 10 at No.14. Meanwhile, New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi also climbed five spots to No.37.