ICC ODI Rankings: India falls to 5th place, Pakistan grabs 4th place

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• Jun 13, 2022 | Dhupali Das

Pakistan has 106 rating points after clinching the series against the West Indies.

Digital Desk: India has slipped to fifth place in the new ICC ODI rankings, while arch-rivals Pakistan have taken over the fourth place and now lead their neighbours by a point in the rankings.

Pakistan has 106 rating points after clinching the series against the West Indies. New Zealand tops the standings with 125 points, followed by England (124) and Australia (107).

Pakistan was ranked fifth in the world before the series started, with a rating of 102. However, before Pakistan's next ODI series in August, India will have an opportunity to climb the rankings by playing with England and the West Indies (three ODIs each).

Notably, in the 50-over format, Pakistan has had a tremendous couple of years. Except for a hiccup against England away from home, they have faced and defeated all opponents, including a 2-1 series victory over Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Moreover, when Australia arrived in Pakistan for the first time since 1998, they defeated the team by the same score. The West Indies had no chance against Pakistan, who thrashed them 3-0.

This moment of revival has happened under the leadership of Babar Azam, who has led Pakistan in all formats of the game. With his century against the West Indies in the first match, he became the only hitter to score three consecutive ODI hundreds twice, having done so in 2016 as well.

He also broke the global record for most consecutive 50-plus scores (9) in men's international cricket across all forms with a fifty in the second ODI.

Along the way, the top-ranked ODI batsman has built a supporting player. Imam-ul-Haq is one among them, and he has seven 50-plus scores in his previous seven One-Day Internationals to show for his work.

Shaheen Afridi, the ICC Men's Player of the Year, has led a group of bowlers, including Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, and Shadab Khan.