LAHORE- Shaheen Shah Afridi has ascended to the pinnacle of the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, solidifying his status as a standout performer in the ongoing ICC Men’s World Cup.
Shaheen is presently sharing the title of the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with Australian spinner Adam Zampa. The left-arm pace sensation has notched up an impressive tally of 16 wickets in seven matches, including a remarkable five-wicket haul against Australia in Bangalore. His exceptional performance against Bangladesh saw him claim three crucial wickets, conceding just 23 runs in nine overs.
In the same game against Bangladesh, the 23-year-old achieved a significant milestone by reaching 100 ODI wickets, making him the fastest paceman to accomplish this feat in just 51 matches, eclipsing Mitchell Starc’s previous record of 52 appearances to reach the century mark. In the overall context, Shaheen is the third-fastest to reach 100 wickets in the ODI format, trailing behind Sandeep Lamichhane (42 matches) and Rashid Khan (44 matches).
This marks the first instance of Shaheen’s elevation to the top spot in the bowler’s rankings across all formats, and his impressive surge has seen him climb an impressive nine positions.
Taking to X, the PCB said, ”
It wrote, “. @iShaheenAfridi
soars up nine spots to become the No.1 ODI bowler for the first time! 📈🌟
With @babarazam258 the No.1 batter, this is the first time since ICC ODI Player rankings were introduced that a Pakistan batter and bowler top the ODI rankings 🥇🥇,”.
.@iShaheenAfridi soars up nine spots to become the No.1 ODI bowler for the first time! 📈🌟
With @babarazam258 the No.1 batter, this is the first time since ICC ODI Player rankings were introduced that a Pakistan batter and bowler top the ODI rankings 🥇🥇 pic.twitter.com/wVArMVET09
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 1, 2023
Simultaneously, Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, maintains his reign atop the ODI Batting Rankings, a position he has held since April 2021. This milestone represents a unique achievement in the history of the ICC ODI Player Rankings, as it is the first time a Pakistan batter and bowler have concurrently dominated the rankings.
In other notable advancements, right-arm pacer Haris Rauf has surged five spots, now occupying the 26th position among ODI bowlers. Imam-ul-Haq stands at the 11th spot among batters, while Fakhar Zaman has risen two places to secure the 14th position following his impressive performance against Bangladesh, where he compiled 81 runs from 74 deliveries, featuring three boundaries and seven maximums.
Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the World Cup, Mohammad Rizwan, has climbed one place to 36th in the rankings for batters, while Mohammad Wasim Jr. has made a remarkable leap of 18 places to claim the 56th position in the bowling chart. Shadab Khan finds himself tied for the 19th spot in the all-rounders rankings, alongside Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga.
In terms of team rankings, Pakistan currently holds the third position in the ODI rankings. They trail behind India and Australia, who occupy the first and second spots, respectively.
At the same time, X reacted to the status of Shaheen Afridi as he became the top trend bowler in the international cricket. The fans have been talking about him and making interesting comments.
ESPNCricinfo also took to X and celebrated the top position of Shaheen Shah Afridi.
It wrote, “The 🦅 soars!
There’s a new No. 1 in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers 🔝,”.
The 🦅 soars!
There's a new No. 1 in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers 🔝 pic.twitter.com/dDXYLKHL8f
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 1, 2023
Meanwhile, the ICC said, “ New No.1 ranked bowler 👑
The Pakistan speedster leads the pack in the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings ⬇️,”.
New No.1 ranked bowler 👑
The Pakistan speedster leads the pack in the latest @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's ODI Player Rankings ⬇️https://t.co/jB7vDWimfq
— ICC (@ICC) November 1, 2023
