LAHORE: Pakistan have regained sixth position on the ICC ODI Championship table and reduced the gap between them and New Zealand to just one ratings point following a strong finish to the Sri Lanka ODI series that concluded in Colombo on Sunday. “After losing the first three matches of the five-ODI series, Younis Khan’s team had slipped to seventh position in the rankings some four points behind Sri Lanka. But victory in the final two matches, played at the R Premadasa Stadium in the capital, helped Pakistan regain sixth position and they are now closing in on the Black Caps one place above,” said a spokesman for the ICC on Monday.
After the first three matches in Dambulla Sri Lanka had risen to 108 ratings points and would have jumped to fourth position in the rankings, ahead of New Zealand and England, if they had completed the clean sweep. But defeat in the Colombo leg of the series has consigned the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 finalists to seventh position. The spokesman said with just seven ratings points separating fourth and seventh positions there was plenty of scope for change especially with a busy schedule for the shorter version of the game culminating in the ICC Champions Trophy, which runs from September 22 to October in 5 South Africa.
Meanwhile, Pakistan fast bowler Rao Ifthikar Anjum has broken back into the top 20 of the ICC player rankings for ODI bowlers with an impressive performance against Sri Lanka. The 28-year-old fast bowler took 5-30 in the fourth ODI and averaged just 11.60 at a strike-rate of 3.82 for the two matches of the series he played in. That performance has lifted him up five places to 18th position and is now just four places behind his career highest of 14th place, a ranking he enjoyed in August 2008. The news is just as good for Pakistan captain Younis as it is for Ifthikar. Younis has jumped up five places in the ICC player rankings for ODI batsmen and is poised to make a return to the top 20, currently sitting in 21st position. Younis was the leading scorer of the series with a total of 244 runs in five innings at an average of 48.80.
In the ICC player rankings for ODI all-rounders Shahid Afridi has dropped out of the top five to seventh position, making way for Australia’s James Hopes and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis. The all-rounders’ list is still headed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh followed by Andrew Flintoff of England in second position and New Zealand’s Jacob Oram third.
After the first three matches in Dambulla Sri Lanka had risen to 108 ratings points and would have jumped to fourth position in the rankings, ahead of New Zealand and England, if they had completed the clean sweep. But defeat in the Colombo leg of the series has consigned the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 finalists to seventh position. The spokesman said with just seven ratings points separating fourth and seventh positions there was plenty of scope for change especially with a busy schedule for the shorter version of the game culminating in the ICC Champions Trophy, which runs from September 22 to October in 5 South Africa.
Meanwhile, Pakistan fast bowler Rao Ifthikar Anjum has broken back into the top 20 of the ICC player rankings for ODI bowlers with an impressive performance against Sri Lanka. The 28-year-old fast bowler took 5-30 in the fourth ODI and averaged just 11.60 at a strike-rate of 3.82 for the two matches of the series he played in. That performance has lifted him up five places to 18th position and is now just four places behind his career highest of 14th place, a ranking he enjoyed in August 2008. The news is just as good for Pakistan captain Younis as it is for Ifthikar. Younis has jumped up five places in the ICC player rankings for ODI batsmen and is poised to make a return to the top 20, currently sitting in 21st position. Younis was the leading scorer of the series with a total of 244 runs in five innings at an average of 48.80.
In the ICC player rankings for ODI all-rounders Shahid Afridi has dropped out of the top five to seventh position, making way for Australia’s James Hopes and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis. The all-rounders’ list is still headed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh followed by Andrew Flintoff of England in second position and New Zealand’s Jacob Oram third.
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