Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed has made the biggest move in the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen. In the latest rankings released on Monday, a day after the conclusion of the three-ODI series between traditional rivals India and Pakistan, Nasir has jumped 45 places to 31st spot, while India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has returned to the top five after putting up a consistent performance with the bat in the series, which was won by Pakistan by 2-1.
In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Pakistan’s duo of Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan have also made gains, while Mohammad Hafeez has now become the number-one ranked ODI all-rounder for the first time in his career.
Jamshed was the top run-getter on either side with 241 runs, which included back-to-back centuries in Chennai and Kolkata. Nasir’s exploits with the bat fetched him the Player of the Series award, and he achieved a career best ratings of 588 to reach 31st position. Other batsmen to make upward movements include Suresh Raina in 26th (up by one) and Shoaib Malik in 78th (up by two), while Yuvraj Singh has re-entered the rankings in 41st position. The batting table is still headed by South Africa’s Hashim Amla followed by teammate AB de Villiers in second place, with Virat Kohli moving down a place to third.
The three-match ODI series was the first series between the Asian neighbours in five years. Sunday’s match in New Delhi, which was won by India by 10 runs, was watched by ICC Chief Executive David Richardson, who was thrilled with the match. He later said:” We must praise the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for making room in a very tight schedule to accommodate these iconic fixtures.
“There is no doubt that there is something special about the atmosphere when Pakistan and India meet and I am sure both the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will do their best to ensure that these games remain, where possible, an integral part of the cricketing calendar in the years ahead. “Like me, I am sure that many millions of cricket lovers across the world enjoyed watching an outstanding standard of intense and competitive international cricket played in the right spirit in front of passionate crowds who packed some of India’s most famous grounds. Congratulations are due to both sides.”
Number-one ranked bowler Saeed Ajmal scalped eight wickets in the series at an average of 10.75, which has helped him achieve career-best rating of 801 points. Saeed has now became the third Pakistan bowler after Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq to break the 800-point barrier, which in ranking terms is the benchmark for top bowlers. Saeed’s 801 points has put him in joint 25th position along with West Indies’ Courtney Walsh in the Reliance ICC Best-Ever ODI Ratings. Pakistan paceman Junaid Khan, who was the joint-highest wicket-taker with Saeed with eight scalps, has been served with a rise of 62 places to 55th, which has helped him achieve his career-best rating of 466 during the series.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez has claimed the number-one spot in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders following his combined effort with the bat and the ball during the series. Hafeez struck 97 runs with the bat and took three wickets during the series. Hafeez has moved up three places to 36th in the batting table and has also retained his second rank in the bowlers’ table.
Pakistan has gained three ratings points following a 2-1 series win. Misbah-ul-Haq’s team had started the series on 104 ratings points and it finished on 107 ratings points to hold on to its sixth position on the Reliance ICC ODI Championship Table. Pakistan now trails fifth-placed Sri Lanka by just three ratings points. India, which had had an opportunity to leapfrog number-one ranked England and number-two ranked South Africa had it won all the three matches, has finished on 117 ratings points after dropping three ratings points. However, India still has a chance to reclaim the number-one ranking if it beats England 4-1 or better in the forthcoming series that starts in Rajkot on Friday 11 January.
Reliance ICC ODI Championship (as on 7 January, after India-Pakistan series)
Rank Team Rating
1 England 121
2 South Africa 121
3 India 117 (-3)
4 Australia 113
5 Sri Lanka 110
6 Pakistan 107 (+3)
7 West Indies 88
8 Bangladesh 78
9 New Zealand 72
10 Zimbabwe 50
11 Ireland 35
12 Netherlands 16
13 Kenya 11
