Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has become the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world. This marks the first time that the ‘Eagle’ has secured the top ranking in any format of the game.
Shaheen secured the top spot after his match-winning spell against Bangladesh in the 2023 World Cup in India. The towering left-arm pacer took 3 crucial wickets in the must-win game at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, becoming the joint leading wicket-taker of the tournament, sharing the honor with Australian spinner Adam Zampa, both boasting an impressive tally of 16 wickets each.
Afridi’s consistent and impactful performances have not only propelled him to the No. 1 ranking but have also caused significant shifts in the ODI bowling rankings. Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, who previously held the top spot, now sits in the second position. India’s Mohammed Siraj, previously at second, has moved down to third place, and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj is now in the fourth spot.
Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman have both made significant gains, moving up two places each to secure the seventh and eighth positions, respectively.
| Position | Player | Team | Rating Points |
| 1 | Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan | 673 |
| 2 | Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 663 |
| 3 | Mohammed Siraj | India | 656 |
| 4 | Keshav Maharaj | South Africa | 651 |
| 5 | Trent Boult | New Zealand | 649 |
| 6 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 648 |
| 7 | Kuldeep Yadav | India | 646 |
| 8 | Mujeeb ur Rahman | Afghanistan | 641 |
| 9 | Adam Zampa | Australia | 637 |
| 10 | Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | 631 |
Fans are hopeful that Shaheen Shah Afridi will carry his incredible form into the upcoming crucial games against New Zealand and England in the World Cup. The Men in Greens’ chances rely heavily on their fiery pace attack to help secure victory and hopefully capture that elusive semi-final spot in the global event. At the moment, Babar Azam and co. will hope for South Africa to defeat in-form New Zealand today in Pune.
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I think ICC has found a way of keeping Pakistanis happy and keep them losers. How? They know we like praises, even false praise. So, they keep our players in some kind of “ranking” list. Number one team, lumber 1 bowler and batsmen. We get happy with this useless ranking but in reality we are third class team who keeps losing to stronger teams and occasionally to weaker teams as well
Beat strong teams consistently and then you deserver some kind of lumber 1 title.
Otherwise, it’s hogwash.