Shaheen Afridi Becomes World No.1 ODI Bowler

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Shaheen Afridi toppled the ODI bowling rankings Karachi, 26 Mar 2019: After his first match against Australia where he displayed impressive bowling, Shaheen Shah Afridi has recently topped the bowlers’ rankings. On the other hand, Babar Azam continues to lead the batting rankings.

Afridi put up an exceptional display during the three-match ODI series, taking eight wickets at an impressive average of just 12.62 for the No.1 spot. The 23-year-old pacer has repeated this show for the second time after first achieving the top spot during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup earlier in the year.

Shaheen Afridi’s outstanding performance vs Australia

Afridi’s excellent display in the series against Australia was the reason for Pakistan to fiercely compete against the latter, and his rise to No. 1 only further cements his position as one of the world game’s top fast bowlers. Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan follows in second position and has taken over from South African Keshav Maharaj, who had occupied the no. 1 spot previously.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam is stuck on top in the ODI batting rankings through mere consistency at the bat. And three Indians: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, follow in that order.

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Other notable trends include Pakistan’s pace spearhead Haris Rauf being awarded Player of the Series for his performance against Australia. Rauf took 10 wickets in the series and has moved up by as many as 14 places to the No. 13 position in the rankings. His jump is reflective of his rising stature in limited-overs cricket. Another young pacer, Naseem Shah, has also seen a major jump, moving up 14 places to the No. 55 position.

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson has made a good rise after his important knocks against South Africa in the T20I rankings. In two T20Is, he scored centuries and therefore jumped 27 places to reach No. 39 in the rankings. In the T20I batsmen list, Phil Salt of England entered into the No. 2 position after his century against the West Indies. Among India, he is at No. 1 position ahead of Suryakumar Yadav.

These changes say so much about the dynamic nature of the ICC player rankings as performances in key series continue to reshape the global cricketing landscape. On the other hand, Afridi’s jump to No.1 and Babar’s continued dominance at the top will say much about the increasing dominance of Pakistanis in the world game.

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