Pakistan’s all-format captain, Babar Azam, has a chance to go to the top of the ICC ODI batsmen rankings in the upcoming series against South Africa. Babar is currently number two in the world with 837 points and is only 20 points behind the Indian captain, Virat Kohli, who has held the top spot since 22 October 2017.
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Although Babar has only played three ODIs since the start of 2020, he has piled up the runs. He scored 221 runs at an average of 110.50 in his previous three ODIs, including a century and a half-century in his last two outings.
Kohli, on the other hand, has not been as impressive as his usual standards. His last century, in any format, was back in 2019. Since his debut in international cricket, 2020 was the first year when he failed to register a century, and his barren run has continued in 2021.
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In the latest ICC batsmen rankings, Kohli lost 11 points as he scored 66 and 7 runs in the last two ODIs against England, narrowing the gap between him and Babar. Similarly, Indian opener, Rohit Sharma, ranked number three in the world, also lost 11 points as he failed to score a half-century in the recently concluded three-match series against England, putting him 12 points behind second-placed Babar Azam.
Babar will lead his troops in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to start from 2 April. The series will be crucial for Babar to go top of the ICC ODI batsmen rankings and Pakistan to climb up the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League table.