In the latest ICC rankings update issued on Wednesday, Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, has once again ascended to the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings with an impressive 824 rating points, reclaiming the position from India’s Shubman Gill, who currently holds 810 points in second place. Virat Kohli of India secures the third spot with 775 rating points.
Babar Azam’s return to the pinnacle comes as Shubman Gill was rested for the ongoing series against South Africa, allowing the former Pakistan captain to surpass him in the rankings.
On the T20I front, England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid has made a significant move by jumping two places to claim the top spot in the bowlers’ rankings. Rashid now surpasses Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and India’s Ravi Bishnoi, who hold the second and third positions, respectively. Notably, Rashid is the second player from England to achieve the No.1 ranking for T20I bowlers, following off-spinner Graeme Swann more than a decade ago.
In batting, Suryakumar Yadav has extended his lead by 100 rating points after a brisk century in India’s recent series against South Africa. He leads the charts, with Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan in second place and South Africa’s Aiden Markram in third.
After a recent Test victory over Pakistan in Perth, Australia’s opener Usman Khawaja has surged three places to fourth in the Test batting rankings, placing him within striking distance of the top-ranked Kane Williamson. Khawaja’s teammate, David Warner, has also climbed nine spots to 27th, while Mitchell Marsh has improved 12 places to equal 68th after their noteworthy performances against Pakistan.
In the Test bowlers’ rankings, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins has moved up one place to third, Nathan Lyon has jumped three spots to fifth, Mitchell Starc has risen two places to eighth, and Josh Hazlewood has climbed two spots to 10th. India’s spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to maintain his dominance at the top of the rankings.
