Afghanistan have reached a milestone by climbing to sixth place in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, overtaking Sri Lanka to secure their highest-ever position in the format. According to the latest update on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) website, the team has moved into the top six for the first time.
Since making their ODI debut in 2009, the side has steadily established themselves as a competitive force in international cricket. They secured victories over top teams Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and also advanced to the semi-final of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan Overtake Sri Lanka to Secure Historic Sixth Place in ICC ODI Rankings
Afghanistan are in sixth place with 94 rating points, moving ahead of Sri Lanka, who also have 94 points. The team has moved ahead of several established cricketing nations, including England, Bangladesh, and the West Indies, to achieve its best-ever ODI ranking.
India are at the top of the rankings with 115 points, followed by New Zealand on 109. South Africa and Pakistan are third and fourth respectively, while Australia hold fifth place with 102. England are eighth with 93 points, followed by Bangladesh with 81 and the West Indies with 79.
Sri Lanka previously occupied sixth place with a narrow points advantage over Afghanistan. England, meanwhile, dropped from seventh to eighth following a series of disappointing results.
Pakistan and Australia had also exchanged fourth and fifth place in recent updates. Pakistan’s home tri-series victory helped them secure fourth position, level with South Africa on rating points.
Afghanistan’s 4-0 Ireland Series Win
Afghanistan won the second ODI in Bready by 92 runs. They secured a three-wicket victory in the third ODI in Belfast. In the fourth ODI, the team posted 343/9 before restricting Ireland to win by 42 runs. They completed the 4-0 series victory with their successful chase in the fifth ODI.
Sediqullah Atal emerged as Afghanistan’s leading run-scorer, finishing the series with 313 runs. He smashed 143 off 120 balls, including 17 fours and four sixes, in the fourth ODI before scoring 98 off 112 balls in the final match.
Ibrahim Zadran also struck a century in the fourth ODI, scoring 107 off 118 deliveries. Rahmat Shah delivered the decisive performance in the fifth ODI, scoring an unbeaten 143 off 133 balls. Rashid Khan was named Player of the Series despite featuring in only three matches.
The side has won 96 of their 191 ODI matches, maintaining an impressive win-loss ratio of 1.09. Their progress has also coincided with individual success in the format, with Rashid Khan occupying the top spot among ODI bowlers and Azmatullah Omarzai leading the all-rounders’ rankings.
Afghanistan Complete 3-0 Zimbabwe T20I Whitewash Ahead of Two-Test Series
The team have also maintained their winning momentum in T20Is, completing a 3-0 series whitewash against Zimbabwe. They sealed the clean sweep with a convincing seven-wicket victory in the third and final match in Sharjah on Sunday.
Spinner Noor Ahmad was the standout performer in the series finale, dismantling Zimbabwe’s middle and lower order. The visitors were bowled out for just 79 runs in less than 15 overs, leaving the hosts with a modest target to chase. They completed the chase comfortably to secure the series.
Following their success in the white-ball formats, they will now turn their attention to Test cricket. They are scheduled to face Zimbabwe in a two-match Test series and will look to carry their recent form into the longest format as they aim to extend their winning run across international cricket.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
