Babar Azam, the standout batsman for Pakistan, has once again risen to the top of the ICC ODI batters rankings, knocking Shubman Gill out of second place.
This change was made in response to Gill’s withdrawal from the current ODI series with South Africa. With an astounding 824 rating points, Babar presently holds the top slot, closely followed by Gill (810) in second place.
On the updated rankings for Test batters, Usman Khawaja, the opener, moves ahead of Babar and within striking distance of the top-ranked Kiwi, Kane Williamson (864 rating points). Mitchell Marsh, who improves 12 places to equal 68th place, and David Warner, who moves up nine spots to 27th place, also gain ground after strong performances against Pakistan.
Babar fell from fourth to fifth place (801 rating points) in the first Test against Australia due to his poor performance, which Pakistan lost by 360 runs. He made two hundred and forty runs in the first and second innings in the Perth Test, respectively.
While India’s spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to dominate at the top, Australia’s foursome of Pat Cummins (up one spot to third), Nathan Lyon (up three spaces to fifth), Mitchell Starc (up two spots to eighth), and Josh Hazlewood (up two spots to tenth) have all gained ground inside the top 10. In the meantime, Shaheen Afridi fell seven spots to claim the 12th position among Test bowlers.
However, less than six months before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins, Adil Rashid, who has been playing well consistently in the Caribbean, has been rewarded for his efforts. He has risen two spots to take the top spot among bowlers in the T20I rankings, surpassing Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (second) and India’s Ravi Bishnoi (third).
After his explosive century in the last game of India’s series against South Africa, Suryakumar extended his lead at the top of the T20I batting rankings to a total of 100 rating points. His nearest competitors are South Africa’s Aiden Markram (third) and Pakistan’s veteran Mohammad Rizwan (second).
King Babar Azam has regained the throne as the Number 1 ODI Batter in the world 😭❤️#BabarWeBelieveInYou pic.twitter.com/GPL0T3DZ40
— SAAD 🇵🇰 (@SaadIrfan258) December 20, 2023
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.