Shubman Gill closes gap with Babar Azam in ICC ODI Batting Rankings

DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has claimed a career-best second position, only behind Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Shubman Gill has scored 154 runs, with the help of two half-centuries in the ongoing ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 and has been rewarded in the latest ICC ODI Rankings, jumping one spot to reach the second position.

Indian opener has closed the gap at the top down to only 103 rating points now with Babar Azam leading with 863 rating points, while Gill with 759 points.

Along with Shubman Gill, India’s captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli also improved their rankings after India’s dominant batting display in the Asia Cup 2023, which cruised them to the final without a single defeat in the tournament.

Kohli and Sharma jumped two spots to reach eighth position and ninth position in the latest ODI batting rankings respectively.

One the other hand, Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq dropped one place to fifth and fellow opener Fakhar Zaman lost three spots and is now sitting at 10th spot.

Meanwhile, in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, Pakistani pace bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah made substantial gains after their impressive performance in the Asia Cup 2023.

Haris Rauf is the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets, consequently jumping eight places to reach 21st position, while Naseem Shah picked seven wickets and jumped 11 spots to 51st.

Indian left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is also the joint-highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2023, bore fruits for his performances and rose five places to reach the seventh spot.

Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood solidified his position at the pinnacle of ODI Bowling Rankings after a three-wicket haul in the first match of their ongoing series with South Africa.

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Imam-ul-Haq rises in ICC ODI Batting Rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq jumped a spot to claim the third position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Imam-ul-Haq, who scored a fighting half-century in the first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan got the reward of his sensible knock as he received a promotion in the batting rankings.

The left-handed opener scored a gutsy 61 off 94 deliveries with the help of two boundaries.

For his anchoring performance, Imam improved seven rating points and moved 11 clear of the third-ranked batter Shubman Gill.

Meanwhile, it was a contrasting outcome for the other Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman, who slipped two spots to fifth in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Notably, Fakhar could score a mere two runs in the aforementioned match and consequently dropped 15 rating points.

Fakhar’s demotion paved the way for his opening partner Imam-ul-Haq and India’s Gill to climb up.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam continued his hold on the supreme position but lost six rating points after falling for a three-ball duck in the first ODI against Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s star with the ball, Haris Rauf, who claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in the format, jumped seven places to 36th in the ODI Bowling Rankings while Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s 3/33 propelled him to earn the third rank.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan kicked off their preparations for the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s World Cup in India with a dominating 142-run victory over Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan could raise a modest 201 despite Imam-ul-Haq’s fighting half-century as Afghanistan spinners dominated the first half.

Besides Imam, Shadab Khan (39) and Iftikhar Ahmed (30) made notable contributions.

Set to chase 202, the Afghanistan batting lineup failed completely against a ruthless pace-packed Pakistan bowling attack.

Haris Rauf spearheaded Pakistan’s bowling charge as they booked Afghanistan for a paltry 59, steering their side to a statement victory.

For his bowling exploits, Haris Rauf was adjudged the Player of the Match.

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