DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a fresh announcement with the new One Day International (ODI) cricketers’ rankings.
According to the new rankings, the ex-Indian skipper Virat Kohli has returned to the number one spot after a hiatus of four years in the case of ODI batters. The previous ranking of Babar Azam has been down to sixth at this time, who was the Pakistan national team’s captain before.
The New Zealand player Daryl Mitchell has gotten into second place, gaining one position, while the Indian athlete Rohit Sharma has experienced a fall of two positions and is now in third place.
Australian player Steve Smith has climbed one spot and is now fourth, whereas the Pakistani player Saud Shakeel is occupying the ninth position. The Indian player KL Rahul has gained one additional spot and is presently at the 11th place.
Rashid Khan from Afghanistan has not only remained the best among the bowlers leading the ODIs rankings but he has also done that with a clear margin. Jofra Archer from England takes the second spot while the Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav is in the third spot. On the contrary, Siraj of India has made an unbelievable jump of five places and is now ranked 16th, while Ravindra Jadeja has similarly dropped five places and is now ranked 21st.
In the ODI all-rounders’ rankings, Azmatullah Omarzai of Afghanistan stays No. 1 and keeps his place.
PCB issues schedule of Pak-Australia T20 series
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that Australia will tour Pakistan in late January, during which three T20 matches will be played between the two teams at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The first match of the series will be held on January 29, after which the dates of the second and third matches have been set for January 31 and February 1, respectively. The toss in all matches will be at 5:30 pm while the match will start at 6 pm. The Australian T20 squad will arrive in Lahore on Wednesday, January 28, after which the teams will be busy with practice sessions and preparations at the Gaddafi Stadium.
This series is considered very important for both teams ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, as Pakistan is in Group A of the World Cup and Australia is in Group B. These matches are important tests for the form of the cricketers and the team’s strategy.
It should be noted that this will be Australia’s third tour of Pakistan since March 2022. Earlier in 2022, Australia played a Test series, three ODIs and a T20 match in Pakistan. The PCB has informed cricket fans that more details regarding entry and tickets to the Gaddafi Stadium will be released soon, so that fans can get tickets in time and enjoy the performances of their favourite players. This series is being described as a great opportunity to increase the passion for cricket in the country and provide entertainment for fan.
