Shaheen Afridi Back on Top in ICC ODI Bowling Rankings
Shaheen Shah Afridi has climbed to the top of the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings, reclaiming his spot as the world’s leading ODI bowler. The Pakistani pacer took eight wickets in Pakistan’s historic ODI series win over Australia, achieving an impressive average of 12.62. His performance pushed him up three spots, overtaking South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, who dropped to third, while Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan held onto second place.
This isn’t the first time Shaheen has reached the top position; he also held it briefly during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India. Alongside Shaheen, his fellow fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was named Player of the Series in Pakistan’s 2-1 victory over Australia, jumped up 14 places to rank 13th, marking a career-best. Another teammate, Naseem Shah, also made strides, rising 14 places to a career-high of 55th.
Shaheen’s rise means that Pakistan now holds the top spots in both batting and bowling in the ODI rankings, with Babar Azam maintaining his lead among batters, ahead of India’s Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli. Pakistan’s new white-ball captain, Mohammad Rizwan, also improved his ranking, moving up two places to joint 23rd after his consistent performances against Australia.
In the all-rounders’ rankings, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi remains at the top as he nears the end of his ODI career. Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan follow him in second and third.
