DUBAI: Afghanistan player Azmatullah Omarzai has ended fellow team-mate Mohammad Nabi’s long tenure as the number one all-rounder in the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after the recent outstanding performance in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Despite Afghanistan missing out on the semi-finals, Omarzai shined with both bat and ball. He grabbed seven wickets in just three matches, including a match-winning 5 for 58 against England. With the bat, he scored 126 runs at an impressive average of 42.00 and a strike rate of 104.13, often rescuing Afghanistan’s lower order.
Omarzai climbed two spots in the allrounder rankings and now leads Nabi by four points. He also jumped 12 places in the ODI batting rankings, securing 24th position.
Kohli rises, Gill stays on top
India also saw movements in the rankings. Virat Kohli moved up one place to fourth after his match-winning 84 against Australia in the semi-final. Earlier, he scored an unbeaten century against Pakistan in the group stage.
Shubman Gill remains the top-ranked ODI batter, followed by Babar Azam at No. 2. Heinrich Klaasen sits third, while Rohit Sharma has slipped to fifth. Retired Australian great Steven Smith finished his ODI career in 16th place.
Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran made a massive leap, rising 13 places to enter the top 10 after his stunning 177 against England.
Bowling rankings shake-up
In the bowling rankings, New Zealand pacer Matt Henry climbed three spots to third, trailing only Maheesh Theekshana and Keshav Maharaj.
Mohammed Shami, returning from injury, also made a strong comeback. He rose three spots to 11th and currently leads the tournament’s wicket-taking charts alongside Henry. Both pacers have eight wickets ahead of the New Zealand vs. South Africa semi-final.
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The Champions Trophy has shaken up the rankings, setting the stage for more thrilling battles ahead.
