ISLAMABAD: Indian batter Shubman Gill ended Pakistani captain Babar Azam’s reign at the top of the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings by claiming the number one spot after his recent impressive performances in the ongoing World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Wednesday.
Azam’s reign at the top of the ODI Batting Rankings lasted for over two years, as Pakistan’s all-format captain rose to the top of the table in April 2021 after displacing former Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
Gill has amassed 219 runs from six innings in the tournament so far, scoring 92 and 23 against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh last week.
“Babar Azam’s reign as the No.1 ODI batter in the world is over, with India young gun Shubman Gill claiming top spot from the Pakistan captain on the latest MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Batting Rankings,” the ICC said in a statement as it released the rankings.
Meanwhile, Azam has scored 282 runs in total from eight knocks at the World Cup. The Pakistani batter looked in impressive form when the green shirts took on the Kiwis last Saturday, scoring an unbeaten 66 runs from 63 balls before rain ended the match in Pakistan’s favor.
On the other hand, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj displaced Pakistani bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to climb to the top of the ODI Bowling Rankings.
Afridi, who climbed to the top of the rankings last week for the first time, slipped to number five as Siraj dominates the table with 709 points. The Indian bowler is followed by South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj at the second position, Australia’s Adam Zampa at third, and India’s Kuldeep Yadav at the fourth spot. Afridi is at number five with 658 points.
Left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman’s rise in the ODI Batter Rankings provided some consolation for Pakistan. Zaman played an instrumental role in the green shirts’ victory over New Zealand on Saturday by smashing an unbeaten 126 runs off 81 balls.
The Pakistani batter climbed three spots in the rankings to secure the number 11 spot in ODI Batting Rankings.
Pakistan face England in their last league match of the World Cup on Nov. 11 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Azam’s side needs to beat England to stay in contention for the semifinal stage of the tournament.
