The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistani cricket team, will begin his journey in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 as the highest-ranked One Day International (ODI) batsman in the world.
He holds the top position with a rating of 857 points. Following closely behind him is India’s rising star Shubman Gill at the second spot with 847 points. Azam’s top ranking was secured when India decided to rest Gill for the third ODI against Australia. Gill had scored 74 and 104 runs in the first two ODIs, coming just 22 runs short of becoming the number one batsman. He needed 200 runs in three ODIs to start his World Cup campaign as the top-ranked batsman.
In addition, Pakistan’s opening batting pair, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, are also among the top 10 ODI batsmen. Imam is ranked fifth with a rating of 728, while Zaman holds the tenth position with a rating of 692. In the top 10 ODI bowling rankings, Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi is the only representative from the team, securing the eighth position with a rating of 632.
