New Delhi: Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq and New Zealand’s right-arm fast bowler Matt Henry Wednesday have moved up in the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after putting in notable performances in the recently-concluded five-match series which the hosts’ won 4-1.
Ul-Haq has advanced one slot to fourth position in the batters’ rankings after playing a match-winning knock of 90 in the third ODI. He is still some way away from his career-best ranking of second position, which he achieved in June last year.
The left-hander’s rise is good news for Pakistan as they now have three batters in the top four, with skipper Babar Azam number one in the list and fellow left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman at third place, with South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen sandwiched in between the Pakistan trio at second place.
On the other hand, Henry has inched up one slot after grabbing seven wickets in the last three matches of the series, to be back to a career best-equaling fourth position, which he first achieved in October 2016 and most recently held in November 2022.
In terms of other Pakistan players, Agha Salman’s two half-centuries have lifted him 80 places to 92nd position among batters while fast bowlers Haris Rauf (up nine places to joint-42nd) and Mohammad Wasim (up 41 places to 69th) have moved up in the list of bowlers after some fine performances in the series.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed eight wickets over the course of the series, while his entertaining cameo of 23 not out in the fourth game helped him rise eight places to 36th on the list for ODI all-rounders.
For New Zealand, left-handed batter and captain in the series, Tom Latham, has advanced eight places to 21st place in the batters’ rankings after scores of 45, 60 and 59 in the three matches. Opener Will Young has moved from 99th to 75th position while fast bowler Henry Shipley is in joint-93rd position.
IANS