Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI bowling rankings after his team’s dominant 3-0 series win over Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi. Rashid, who last held the top position in November 2024, was sensational throughout the series, taking 11 wickets at an average of 6.09 and an economy rate of just 2.73. His match-winning spells lifted him from sixth to first place, earning 710 rating points — 30 ahead of South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj.

Afghanistan’s batting hero Ibrahim Zadran also made history, climbing eight places to a career-best No. 2 in the ODI batting rankings. He was named Player of the Series after scoring 213 runs at an average of 71 across three innings. Ibrahim now sits just 20 points behind India’s Shubman Gill, the current No. 1, and eight points clear of Rohit Sharma, who is ranked third. His rise marks the highest-ever position achieved by an Afghanistan batter in ODI history.
Adding to Afghanistan’s dominance, Azmatullah Omarzai regained the No. 1 spot in the ODI allrounder rankings. He displaced Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza after taking seven wickets and scoring 60 runs in the series. Omarzai had previously topped the rankings between February and August and has now reclaimed his position through consistent all-round performances.
Meanwhile, India’s left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav achieved a career-best Test ranking, moving up seven places to 14th after taking 12 wickets at an average of 19.50 in the series against West Indies. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal also gained ground, climbing from seventh to fifth among Test batters following his brilliant 175-run knock in Delhi.

Leave a Reply