In a remarkable turn of events in International Cricket, India has surpassed Pakistan to secure the leading position in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) One Day International (ODI) Rankings. The victorious leap was accomplished as India bested Australia by five wickets in a match played at Mohali on Friday.
The Indian cricket team, also known as The Blues, triumphed with an exceptional performance from its batters. Standout innings were observed from four players- Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav, each of them succeeding in scoring half-centuries for India.
Featuring 116 ratings, India now leads the ODI rankings, closely trailed by Pakistan which holds the second ranking position with 115 ratings.
Before the highly awaited ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 commences, India is set to compete in two additional ODIs against Australia. There’s a potential shift in rankings if Australia manages to defeat India in these subsequent matches. A win for Australia could reinstate Pakistan as the top-ranking team, and subsequently provide them with a boost ahead of the World Cup.
Pakistan acquired its rank as the top ODI team after a victorious three-match ODI series against Afghanistan held in Sri Lanka in August. However, a less than stellar performance by Pakistan at the Asia Cup 2023 saw them drop to the third position. But a series of victories, including South Africa’s win over Australia in a five-match ODI series, saw Pakistan regain their rank as the top team.
Pakistan is scheduled to commence their World Cup campaign on October 6 by facing off against the Netherlands, with the match set to take place in Hyderabad.
The World Cup squad for Pakistan includes:
Captain Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha. The travelling reserves consist of Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, and Zaman Khan.
Pakistan will engage in warm-up matches versus New Zealand on September 29 and Australia on October 3. Both matches will take place in Hyderabad.
The Pakistan team’s schedule for the World Cup ranges from October 6 to November 11, involving matches with global teams at different locations across India. It’s important to note that matches commencing at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) are day sessions, while any matches starting at 01:30pm (PST) are denoted as day-night games.
