According to the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings released on Wednesday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has surpassed Virat Kohli to become the new No. 1 batsman in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
Babar ended Kohli’s 1,258-day reign as the top batsman in one-day internationals, becoming just the fourth Pakistani batsman to do so. Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf were the remaining three (2003).
His 82-ball 94 in the last ODI between Pakistan and South Africa in Centurion earned him 13 points, putting him on 865 points, eight points ahead of his Indian counterpart.
Babar has a highest score of No. 5 in Tests, but he is actually ranked sixth in the longest format. Currently, the former World No. 1 Twenty20 International (T20I) batter is ranked third in the shortest style. Kohli was ranked No. 5 in the Test rankings earlier this year after a disappointing home series against England. Kane Williamson of New Zealand is the latest World No. 1 in the longest format.
Meanwhile, Babar’s compatriot Fakhar Zaman has risen five places in the ODI batting rankings, to No. 7 for the first time in his career, while left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (up four places to 11th) and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (up 29 places to 96th) have also advanced thanks to their three-wicket hauls in the match.
Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 74 in the first match of their series against South Africa has helped him leap 24 places to 23rd in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, while Nawaz (up 36 places to 28), Hasan Ali (up 22 places to 62nd), and Usman Qadir (up 24 places to 68th) have all jumped up the bowlers’ list.