In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, Pakistani cricket sensation Fakhar Zaman has advanced in the world rankings and is now Babar Azam’s closest rival.
With consecutive centuries in the first two games of the ODI series against New Zealand that was played in Pakistan, Fakhar’s recent performances have been nothing short of spectacular. He jumped eight spots to second place in Rawalpindi after his 117 and 180 runs, trailing Babar by 103 rating points.
His three ODI centuries gave him a personal best rating of 784 points. As a result of this accomplishment, Pakistan now has three players in the top five ODI batting rankings, with Imam-ul-Haq holding down the fifth spot, just behind Rassie van der Dussen of South Africa and Shubman Gill of India.
Players from New Zealand also made some progress, with Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell moving up following strong series starts. Latham moved up three spots to 29th after contributing 98 runs in the second game, while Mitchell’s outstanding 129-run inning propelled him from outside the top 100 to 57th.
There were only minor changes in the bowlers’ ODI rankings behind the top-ranked Australian, Josh Hazlewood. Zeeshan Maqsood, the captain of Oman, moved up three spots to fifth in the list of ODI all-rounders following a successful performance against the UAE in Mulpani.
Following their series victory over Ireland in Galle, a number of Sri Lankan players also saw increases in the Test rankings. Prabath Jayasuriya, a left-arm spinner, rose six positions to tie for 13th after taking seven wickets in the second Test. Ramesh Mendis, meanwhile, moved up ten positions to 22nd after taking six wickets in the same game. After scoring centuries, seasoned players Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews saw an increase in their batting rankings.
