LAHORE: Pakistan move up to 2nd position after Australia in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings following the annual update.

Australia are two rating points clear of Pakistan at 118 points after the update, which weights matches completed prior to May 2022 at 50 percent and subsequent matches at 100 percent. Pakistan, which grabbed the number one position briefly on 5th May before losing the final ODI of their five-match home series to New Zealand and slipping back behind Australia, are on 116 points, one more than India.

Pakistan would have remained at the top of the ODI rankings even after the annual update had they completed a 5-0 sweep in the series against New Zealand.

An interesting battle at the top of the rankings is imminent in the year of the World Cup as only three points separate Australia, Pakistan and India, who are comfortably ahead of the others in the 20-team table.

The matches dropping out of the rankings include the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. England and New Zealand, who played an epic final at Lord’s four years ago, have both lost points in the annual update. New Zealand is in fourth position but 11 points behind India at 104 after losing four points over the cycle.

England, who will defend their World Cup title in India this year, has lost 10 points and is in fifth position with 101 points.

South Africa and Bangladesh retain sixth and seventh positions, respectively, while Afghanistan have overtaken former World champions Sri Lanka and the West Indies to grab eighth position. The top eight are the teams to have qualified directly for this year’s World Cup.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023