Saturday, 7 September 2013 00:00
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Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez has reclaimed the number-one ranking in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI All-rounders in the latest update released a day after Pakistan beat Zimbabwe to win the three-match series 2-1.
Hafeez, who won the player of the series award for his 232 runs and two wickets, has leapfrogged Shakib Al Hasan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson and Tillakaratne Dilshan after earning 26 ratings points.
Hafeez first surged to the top of the all-rounders’ rankings on 6 January 2013 after the conclusion of the three-match series against India before he conceded the slot to Shakib at the end of the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.
While Hafeez gained 17 places on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, which has put him in a career-best 31st position, he has slipped one place to ninth on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers.
Despite a series defeat, there is some good news for Zimbabwe batsmen, who have improved their rankings.
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor leads the pack, jumping five places to 25th spot following his contribution of 148 runs at an average of 78. The other batsmen to head in the right direction are Sean Williams in 57th (up by eight) and Hamilton Masakadza in 58th (up by 12).
South Africa’s Hashim Amla continues to lead the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, with his captain AB de Villiers in second place and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara in third spot.
Meanwhile, Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has moved up two places to third in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers. He took six wickets in the series and is now just 10 ratings points behind Ravindra Jadeja and Sunil Narine, who share the number-one spot.
Jadeja will have the first shot at an outright lead at the top of the tree when he’s expected to take the field against Australia in Pune on 13 October. While West Indies’ first ODI of the season is against New Zealand in Auckland on 26 December, Pakistan will be in action in limited overs cricket against South Africa for a five-ODI series that starts in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on 30 October.
Pakistan drops one ratings point despite series win
Meanwhile, Pakistan has dropped a point while Zimbabwe has gained three ratings points on the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings Table.
Pakistan had entered the series leading Zimbabwe by 50 ratings points and this gap meant Pakistan was expected to win the series convincingly. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, Pakistan’s failure to win all the matches has resulted in it conceding one ratings point and Zimbabwe gaining three ratings points.
