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DUBAI: Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has achieved a career-best position in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Rankings, while star batter Babar Azam continues to lose ground after another modest performance against Sri Lanka.
In the opening ODI in Rawalpindi, Salman played a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 105 off 87 balls, guiding Pakistan to a narrow six-run victory. His outstanding innings helped him climb 14 spots in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings, reaching 16th position with a personal best of 639 rating points.
Meanwhile, young batter Saim Ayub also continued his steady rise. Despite scoring just six runs against Sri Lanka, his previous fifties versus South Africa helped him move 18 places up to joint 35th in the batting list.
However, the senior batters faced a rough patch. Former captain Babar Azam, who managed only 29 runs in the first ODI, dropped two places to 7th in the world rankings. Mohammad Rizwan slipped four spots to 27th after scoring just five, while Fakhar Zaman fell five places to 31st following his 32-run innings from 55 balls.
In the bowling department, Haris Rauf’s fiery spell of four wickets against Sri Lanka earned him a three-place boost, taking him to 28th position.
Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, even without featuring in the Rawalpindi ODI, jumped 18 spots to 20th, courtesy of his brilliant 4-27 spell against South Africa in the series decider — his best ODI performance so far.
Among the all-rounders, Salman Ali Agha continued to impress, climbing seven spots to 11th, becoming Pakistan’s highest-ranked ODI all-rounder. Naseem Shah improved three places to 28th, Saim Ayub gained 12 spots to 37th, while Shaheen Shah Afridi slipped two positions to 30th.
Pakistan’s recent performances have reflected both promise and inconsistency — as new stars like Salman and Saim rise, experienced players like Babar and Rizwan will look to bounce back in upcoming fixtures.
Read: Haris Rauf’s Four-Wicket Burst and Agha Salman’s Ton Seal Victory for Pakistan in ODI Opener