DUBAI: Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and spinner Abrar Ahmed have made notable gains in the latest ICC Men’s ODI rankings, while senior players Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi have slipped, according to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) weekly update released on Wednesday.
Salman climbed three places to 40th in the batting rankings with 550 points, reflecting his growing consistency in Pakistan’s middle order.
Spinner Abrar Ahmed registered the biggest improvement among Pakistan’s bowlers, leaping 18 spots to 43rd with 502 points.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam reclaimed the No.2 spot after briefly losing it to India’s Rohit Sharma.
ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan dropped five places to 27th, Fakhar Zaman slipped to 28th, and young opener Saim Ayub suffered the steepest fall, sliding 12 spots to 60th.
Imam-ul-Haq, currently playing county cricket in England, also dropped three places to 42nd.
At the top of the batting chart, India’s Shubman Gill retained his No.1 position with 784 points, followed by Babar Azam in second, and Rohit Sharma in third, Virat Kohli in fourth, and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell in fifth.
The bowling rankings also saw a shake-up. South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj reclaimed the No.1 spot after his match-winning spell of five for 33 against Australia in Cairns, displacing Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana and India’s Kuldeep Yadav.
Among Pakistan’s bowlers, Shaheen Afridi fell two places to 15th, Haris Rauf slipped three places to 31st, and Naseem Shah dropped to 51st.
All-rounders Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim Jr. also declined, falling to 78th and 87th, respectively.
Meanwhile, West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales surged 15 places to 18th after his six-wicket haul against Pakistan, while teammates Shai Hope and Roston Chase also made gains in the batting and bowling charts, respectively.
The ICC said the latest rankings were updated following the opening ODI between South Africa and Australia and the conclusion of West Indies’ series against Pakistan.
