Pakistan cricket fans have reason to celebrate as two rising stars have achieved career-best positions in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings following standout performances in recent home series against South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Salman Agha and Abrar Ahmed have been the stars of the Pakistan ODI team, helping them earn a comeback win over the Proteas before the batter’s century helped Pakistan get off to a winning start against Sri Lanka.
Salman, who has quietly built a reputation as one of Pakistan’s most dependable middle-order batters, climbed 14 places to 16th in the batting charts. His unbeaten 105 off 87 balls against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi was the highlight of the week, coming on the back of scores of 69 and 5* against South Africa. With this surge, Salman is now Pakistan’s second-highest ranked ODI batter, sitting just behind Babar Azam, who currently occupies seventh place.
Saim Ayub has also risen 18 places to now sit 35th in the ICC ODI rankings. Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan (27) and Fakhar Zaman (31) have seen a drop in their standings courtesy of a lean patch with the bat.
| Rank | Name | Country | Ranking Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Rohit Sharma | India | 781 |
| 02 | Ibrahim Zadran | Afghanistan | 764 |
| 03 | Daryl Mitchell | New Zealand | 746 |
| 04 | Shubman Gill | India | 745 |
| 05 | Virat Kohli | India | 725 |
On the bowling front, mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed continued his rise with match-winning spells against South Africa. His figures of 3/53 and 4/27 lifted him 17 spots to 20th among bowlers, placing him just four positions behind Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is ranked 16th.
Haris Rauf climbed two spots to 29th, while Mohammad Nawaz also moved up two places to sit 65th in the rankings.
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating | Career Best Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 710 | 799 v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi 2018 |
| 02 | Jofra Archer | England | 670 | 683 v New Zealand at Hamilton 2025 |
| 03 | Keshav Maharaj | South Africa | 660 | 741 v Australia at Kolkata 2023 |
| 04 | Maheesh Theekshana | Sri Lanka | 650 | 686 v Australia at Colombo (RPS) 2025 |
| 05 | Bernard Scholtz | Namibia | 645 | 648 v Oman at Scotland 2024 |
For Pakistan cricket, Salman Agha and Abrar Ahmed’s rise is more than just numbers on a chart. It signals the emergence of fresh match-winners who can complement established stars like Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi.
With ODI cricket under scrutiny globally, Pakistan’s new performers are proving that the format still has room for heroes who can inspire fans and carry the team forward.