NewKerala.com

Key Points

Zimbabwe's veteran all-rounder Sikandar Raza has claimed the top spot in ODI all-rounder rankings. He achieved this after impressive back-to-back performances against Sri Lanka in Harare. Raza breached the 300-point mark for the first time in his career, overtaking Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai. His rise comes despite Zimbabwe suffering two defeats in the series.

Key Points: Sikandar Raza Tops ODI All-Rounder Rankings Overtaking Omarzai

  • Raza scored two half-centuries against Sri Lanka in Harare series
  • Zimbabwe's Ben Curran jumped 71 spots to 90th in rankings
  • Sri Lanka's Nissanka rose seven spots to 13th in batting
  • South Africa's Maharaj leads bowling rankings by 31 points
2 min read

Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza overtakes Omarzai for top spot in ODI all-rounder rankings

Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza becomes world No.1 ODI all-rounder after stellar performances against Sri Lanka, surpassing Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai in ICC rankings.

"Raza breached the 300-point mark for the first time in his career - ICC Rankings Update"

New Delhi, September 3

Zimbabwe's seasoned star Sikandar Raza became the new number one all-rounder in the ODIs after a 12-point rise to overtake Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai.

In the latest ranking update issued by the ICC on Wednesday, Raza breached the 300-point mark for the first time in his career and moved to the summit after his imposing back-to-back performances against Sri Lanka in Harare.

Raza hammered two half-centuries during the series. In the opener, he top-scored with 92 and returned with figures of 1/48. Despite the two defeats, Raza remained the standout performer for the Chevrons. Zimbabwe's Ben Curran played a starring role with scores of 70 and 79. He jumped a whopping 71 spots up the ranks to take 90th position in the standings.

With a rating of 302, he breezed past the Afghan pair Mohammad Nabi (292 points) and Azmatullah Omarzai (296). After his stellar performances with the bat, he rose nine spots to 22nd spot in the ODI batting rankings.

Sri Lanka's players also enjoyed a surge in the latest rankings after scripting victories in both ODIs in Harare. Nissanka came close to threatening a change in the top 10, moving up seven spots to 13th (654 points), courtesy of his 122 and 76. His compatriot Janith Liyanage climbed 13 places to 29th in the standings.

In the bowling rankings, Sri Lanka's standout quicks Asitha Fernando climbed six spots to 31st and Dilshan Madushanka jumped eight places to 52nd.

South Africa's recent rout against England in the first ODI saw Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj open up a 31 rating point lead (690 points) at the top of the Bowling Rankings after a sizzling four-wicket haul.

His compatriot Lungi Ngidi climbed five spots to equal 23rd, while England tearaway Jofra Archer moved into the top 20 (19th), despite being on the losing side.

Afghanistan's seasoned star Mohammad Nabi pushed for the No.1 T20 All-Rounder spot. He is on the second spot behind India's Hardik Pandya. Nabi scalped four wickets in three matches in the ongoing tri-series in Sharjah against the UAE and Pakistan.

Ibrahim Zadran emerged as a noteworthy mover in the T20I Batting rankings after climbing 12 spots to 20th after notching 63 (40) and 65 (45). Pakistan's Sufiyan Muqeem moved 11 spots up to 22nd in the T20I Bowling Rankings.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Amazing achievement for Raza! Breaking 300 points is no small feat. Shows how important all-rounders are in modern cricket. Zimbabwe may have lost but he stood tall!
A
Aditya G
Hardik Pandya still holding the T20 all-rounder top spot! 🇮🇳 But credit to Nabi for pushing hard. The competition among all-rounders is getting intense across formats.
S
Sarah B
Interesting to see how the rankings keep changing. Raza's consistency is impressive, especially considering Zimbabwe's recent struggles. Hope this inspires more players from smaller cricketing nations!
M
Michael C
While Raza's achievement is commendable, I feel the ranking system sometimes overvalues performances against weaker teams. Would be interesting to see how he fares against top-ranked sides.
N
Nisha Z
Ben Curran's jump of 71 spots is massive! Zimbabwe might have found a gem there. Also good to see Sri Lankan players getting rewarded for their performances. Asian cricket representation strong 💪

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50