Babar Azam slips as Salman Agha, Abrar Ahmed rise in ICC ODI rankings

LAHORE (Web Desk) – An eventful week in international cricket has brought a reshuffle in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings, with Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha and Abrar Ahmed making notable strides while former captain Babar Azam has slipped.

The changes come after the first ODI between South Africa and Australia, where the Proteas secured a commanding win, and after a brief rankings controversy involving Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Top batsmen

Pakistan all-rounder Salman Agha climbed three places to 40th in the batting rankings with 550 points. Rising spinner Abrar Ahmed also made waves, leaping 18 places to 43rd with 502 points in the bowling list.

However, it was not all good news for Pakistan. Star batter Babar Azam, who briefly reclaimed the second position, was pushed back to third following the reinstatement of Rohit Sharma after a temporary ICC error.

Mohammad Rizwan dropped to 27th, Fakhar Zaman fell one place to 28th, and Saim Ayub endured the steepest decline, tumbling 12 spots to 60th with 503 points.

India’s Shubman Gill continues to dominate the ODI batting table, holding firm at No.1 with 784 points. Rohit Sharma sits second, followed by Babar Azam in third, Virat Kohli in fourth, and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell in fifth. Imam-ul-Haq, currently playing county cricket in England, slipped to 42nd.

Bowling shake-up

South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj produced a match-winning spell of 5 for 33 against Australia to reclaim the No.1 ODI bowling position, overtaking Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana and India’s Kuldeep Yadav.

Pakistan’s bowling department saw a mixed update: Shaheen Afridi dropped to 15th, Haris Rauf fell to 31st, and Naseem Shah slipped to 51st.

Meanwhile, West Indies pacer Jayden Seales surged 15 places to 18th after his six-wicket haul against Pakistan.

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