Shaheen Afridi becomes World No.1 bowler as Pakistan stars dominate ICC Rankings

Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi regained the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings after impressive bowling performances in the recent ODI series against Australia. The left-arm quick emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in the series, just behind his teammate Haris Rauf.

After a string of poor performances across formats, Shaheen Afridi put up a great show by picking up 8 wickets in three ODIs at an average of 12.62 and a miserly economy rate of 3.76. His consistency was instrumental in Pakistan's historic series win in Australia.

Pakistan won its first ODI series on Australian soil after a long gap of 22 years. The Men in Green lost the first match of the series but then came back strongly to dominate the home team in the next two matches.

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Shaheen Afridi becomes the No. 1 ODI bowler in the ICC rankings

🚨 SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI BECOMES THE NO 1 ODI BOWLER IN ICC RANKING...!!!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/8Pc5TP03vX

— 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞 (@CallMeSheri1) November 13, 2024

Shaheen Afridi moved up three places to take the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers. He replaced South Africa's left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who has now shifted to the third spot. Afghanistan's star legspinner Rashid Khan is No. 2 on the list.

The No. 1 spot is not new to Afridi, who previously held this spot during the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. However, he was later pushed down due to a string of low-key performances and the lower no. of ODIs played by Pakistan.

Haris Rauf takes a giant leap

Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi's teammate Haris Rauf made a giant leap as he jumped 14 places to 13th position in the rankings. It is also his best-ever ODI ranking ever. Rauf was easily the pick of the bowlers during the ODI series between Australia and Pakistan.

The right-arm fast bowler picked up 10 wickets in three ODIs at an average of 12 and an economy rate of 5. Haris Rauf was excellent throughout the course of the series as he made full use of his experience in Australian conditions.

He was adjudged the Player of the Match in the last two ODIs of the series in Adelaide and Perth. Rauf was also picked as the Player of the Series for his brilliant performances. Alongside Afridi and Rauf, Naseem Shah also moved up 14 places to 55th spot in the rankings.

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi at the top

Shaheen Afridi's top spot in the ICC ODI ranking means that Pakistan now have a top-ranked ODI batter and a top-ranked ODI bowler at the same time. Babar Azam is currently No. 1 in the ICC ODI rankings

Skipper Mohammad Rizwan also gained two places to move up to 23rd in the ICC ODI rankings for batters. The rise in rankings of several Pakistan players is a great sign for the team which has gone through lots of ups and downs in the last few months.