Dubai: India captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma continue to occupy the top two batting spots in the ICC ODI rankings. Among the bowlers, pacer Jasprit Bumrah stayed put in second place in the latest list issued Tuesday. With 871 rating points, Virat Kohli is at the top of the rankings. He is followed by Rohit Sharma (855) and Pakistan’s Babar Azam (829).
In the bowlers list, Bumrah (719) is behind New Zealand pacer Trent Boult (722). Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman (701) occupies the third spot.
Ravindra Jadeja is the lone Indian to feature in the top 10 all-rounders rankings at the eight spot. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi is leading pack in this category. He is closely followed by England all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Meanwhile, England’s Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow will be in focus from the rankings perspective in the series against Ireland. The reigning World Cup champions kick off Thursday the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League against Ireland. It will be a three-game series.
Opener Roy and wicketkeeper-batsman Bairstow are currently ranked 11th and 14th, respectively, in the ICC ODI rankings. They could work their way back into the top 10. They have both enjoyed personal best rankings of ninth position in the past. Roy was in ninth place in July last year and Bairstow in October 2018.
World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan is the third best-ranked batsman from his side in 23rd position. Incidentally Morgan will be leading England against a side he scored 99 for on ODI debut against Scotland 14 years ago.
For Ireland, skipper Andy Balbirnie, took over from long-time captain William Porterfield last November. He has only led in a three-ODI series in the Caribbean in January and is ranked 46th among batsmen. Paul Stirling remains Ireland’s top-ranked batsman in 27th position. His best ever ranking was seventh in 2013.
The England-Ireland series marks the start of the much-awaited Super League. It will see 13 teams vie for direct qualifying places in the next ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India in 2023. India and seven other teams will make it directly from the league. The remaining teams will get a second chance through a qualifer.
Teams will be awarded 10 points for a win, five for a tie, no-result or abandoned match and none for a loss.
Agencies