Babar Azam dethrones Kohli in ODI player’s rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has ended Virat Kohli’s long reign at the top of ICC ODI Player Rankings, becoming only the fourth batsman from his country to attain number one position.

The 26-year-old’s player of the match effort of an 82-ball 94 in the last match of the series against South Africa in Centurion has helped him gain 13 rating points to reach 865 points and he now leads the Indian captain by eight points.

Babar had started the series against South Africa at 837 rating points but moved up to 858 (ahead of Kohli) after his score of 103 in the first match. He dropped to 852 by the time of the last weekly rankings update with a score of 32 in the second ODI.

By ending Kohli’s 1,258 day-supremacy, Babar has emulated compatriots Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003) as the number one ODI batsman.

In Tests, Babar has attained a best of fifth position and is currently ranked sixth while in T20Is he is third but has been number one in the past.

Left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman is another Pakistan batsman to move up the ODI batting charts, gaining five slots to reach a career-best seventh position after his knock of 101 while left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (up four places to a career-best 11th place) and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (up 29 places to 96th) have progressed thanks to their three-wicket hauls in the match.

A good update for 🇵🇰

Fakhar Zaman, following a brilliant series against South Africa, has surged five places to No.8 in the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC men’s ODI rankings for batsmen 👏 pic.twitter.com/HheS38uijO

— ICC (@ICC) April 14, 2021

For South Africa, all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo has gained 11 slots to reach 83rd position after notching a half-century while captain Temba Bavuma has progressed from 88th to 86th place.

In the T20I Player Rankings, Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 74 in the first match of their series against South Africa has helped him jump 24 places to 23rd position while Nawaz (up 36 places to 28), Hasan Ali (up 22 places to 62nd)  and Usman Qadir (up 24 places to 68th) have moved up the bowlers’ list.