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Babar Azam moves to Number 2 in the ICC ODI batting rankings after update

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Arham_PakFan

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England players made significant gains after a 5-0 series win over Australia, while Scotland's MacLeod and Cross also benefitted after fine efforts.

Roy, Ali, Rashid, Head and Richardson also move up in latest ODI rankings update
Scotland players MacLeod and Watt among those to gain after fine efforts
England players have made significant gains in the latest MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings after an impressive 5-0 series whitewash of Australia that exhibited the top-ranked side’s potential a year ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, to be held in England and Wales from 30 May to 14 July.

Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Jason Roy lead the charge in the list of batsmen with some fine efforts in recent matches. Bairstow has moved up four places to 11th position after aggregating 300 runs in the Australia series, which followed a fighting 105 against Scotland. Player of the Series Buttler has gained two spots to reach 16th place with 275 runs against Australia including an unbeaten 110 in the final match while Roy has moved up three places to 20th position.

Alex Hales (up one place to 22nd) and captain Eoin Morgan (up one place to 24th) are the others to advance for England while Australia’s Travis Head (up three places to 19th) has benefitted after aggregating 194 runs in the series.

England spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali finished with 12 wickets each in the series and that has reflected in the latest rankings update, which also takes into account the one-off match in Edinburgh which saw Scotland pull off a surprise six-run win over England.

Rashid, who achieved a career-best 677 ratings points after the third ODI in which he grabbed four for 47, has gained three places to finish in eighth position. Ali has moved up 13 places to 12th position, capping the series with a fine spell of four for 46 in the last match.

Mark Wood (up five places to 28th) and David Willey (up 23 places to 43rd) are the others to move up for England while Australia pace bowler Mark Watt has gained 26 places to finish the series in 67th position. For Australia, Kane Richardson’s six wickets in three matches have helped him move from 84th to 77th position.

For Scotland, Calum MacLeod’s unbeaten 140 not only won him the Player of the Match award, but has also helped him gain 20 places to reach a career-best 35th position among batsmen. Matthew Cross has also gained nine slots to reach 103rd rank after scoring a useful 48 runs in the match.

Among their bowlers, Mark Watt (up 26 places to 67th) and Alasdair Evans (up five places to 85th) are the significant gainers.

Meanwhile, Australia have slipped to sixth place in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings after losing four points in the England series and finishing on 100 points, two points behind Pakistan.

England have recovered to finish with 126 points after slipping from 125 to 123 points with their loss to Scotland in the one-off ODI preceding this series. England are currently four points ahead of second-placed India, who they play in a three-match home series from 12 to 17 July. England will retain the top spot even if they lose the India series 2-1 but a 3-0 loss will see India back at the top of the table.

The ODI team rankings, unlike the Test rankings, are updated after each match. The ICC ODI predictor function is available here.

MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 25 June, after the one-off match between England and Scotland and the Australia-England series):

Rank Team Points

1 England 126 (+1)

2 India 122

3 South Africa 113

4 New Zealand 112

5 Pakistan 102

6 Australia 100 (-4)

7 Bangladesh 93

8 Sri Lanka 77

9 Windies 69

10 Afghanistan 63

11 Zimbabwe 55

12 Ireland 38

13 Scotland 28 (+5)

14 UAE 18

*Nepal and the Netherlands will qualify for a full ranking after playing four more matches each

MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 25 June, after the one-off match between England and Scotland and the Australia-England series):

BATTING (top 10)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Virat Kohli Ind 909! 58.10 909 v SA at Centurion 2018

2 (+2) Babar Azam Pak 813 51.11 846 v NZ at Wellington 2018

3 (-1) David Warner Aus 803 43.43 880 v Pak at Adelaide 2017

4 (+1) Rohit Sharma Ind 799 44.55 825 v SL at Mohali 2017

5 (+1) Ross Taylor NZ 785 46.28 789 v Eng at Dunedin 2018

6 (-3) Joe Root Eng 784 49.82 819 v Aus at Brisbane 2018

7 ( - ) Quinton de Kock SA 783 45.41 808 v Ban at East London 2017

8 (- ) Faf du Plessis SA 782 44.68 802 v Ind at Durban 2018

9 ( - ) Kane Williamson NZ 778 46.87 798 v SA at Centurion 2015

10 ( - ) Shikhar Dhawan Ind 769 45.90 794 v SA at Melbourne 2015

OTHER SELECTED RANKINGS

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Highest Rating

11 (+4) Jonny Bairstow Eng 760 51.55 777 v Aus at Durham 2018

16 (+2) Jos Buttler Eng 705 40.67 723 v Ban at Mirpur 2016

19 (+3) Travis Head Aus 670*! 37.00 670 v Eng at Old Trafford 2018

20 (+3) Jason Roy Eng 666 39.06 680 v Aus at Durham 2018

22 (+1) Alex Hales Eng 649 38.36 705 v NZ at Cardiff 2017

24 (+1) Eoin Morgan Eng 622 37.13 690 v Aus at The Oval 2010

35 (+20) Calum MacLeod Sco 585! 37.81 585 v Eng at Edinburgh 2018

103 (+9) Matthew Cross Sco 405*! 22.76 405 v Eng at Edinburgh 2018

BOWLING (top 10)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Eco. Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Jasprit Bumrah Ind 787*! 22.50 4.64 787 v SA at Centurion 2018

2 ( - ) Rashid Khan Afg 763* 14.40 3.96 787 v Zim at Sharjah 2018

3 (+1) Hasan Ali Pak 711* 21.40 5.29 766 v NZ at Wellington 2018

4 (+1)Trent Boult NZ 699 24.63 5.09 766 v Ind at Delhi 2016

5 (-2) Josh Hazlewood Aus 696 24.27 4.72 733 v Eng at Adelaide 2018

6 ( - ) Imran Tahir SA 683 24.81 4.68 786 v SL at Johannesburg 2017

7 ( - ) Kagiso Rabada SA 679 27.57 5.11 724 v Eng at Lord's 2017

8= (+3) Adil Rashid Eng 667 31.14 5.55 677 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2018

(+1) Y. Chahal Ind 667*! 21.83 4.76 667 v SA at Centurion 2018

10 (-2) Chris Woakes Eng 653 30.77 5.50 673 v NZ at Christchurch 2018

OTHER SELECTED RANKINGS

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Avge Eco. Highest Rating

13 (+12) Moeen Ali En 629! 44.26 5.08 629 v Aus at Old Trafford 2018

28 (+5) Mark Wood Eng 574* 46.18 5.49 577 v Aus at Durham 2018

43 (+23) David Willey Eng 498 36.09 5.75 551 v SL at Cardiff 2016

67 (+26) Mark Watt Sco 454*! 31.50 4.42 454 v Eng at Edinburgh 2018

77= (+7) Kane Richardson Aus 431* 31.62 5.48 433 v Ind at Bengaluru 2017

85= (+5) Alasdair Evans Sco 421*! 28.44 5.12 421 v Eng at Edinburgh 2018

ALL-ROUNDERS (top five)

Rank (+/-) Player Team Points Highest Rating

1 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 359 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009

2 ( - )M.Hafeez Pak 339 438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013

3 ( - ) M. Nabi Afg 323 349 v Ire at Greater Noida 2017

4 ( - ) Mitchell Santner NZ 317! 317 v Eng at Christchurch 2018

5=(+1) Angelo Mathews SL 306 427 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014

(+4) Moeen Ali Eng 306! 306 v Aus at Old Trafford 2018

https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/755221
 
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So proud of the boy. Remember watching him as a 15 year old kid at the under 19 WC in 2010 where he was Pakistan’s top scorer. Now he sits at 1 in T20’s and 2 in ODI’s. A Shame he will fall in T20’s due to missing games though.
 
I don't care what people may say about the quality of the opposition that Babar scored runs against throughout his career. The sheer achievement of reaching number 2 on the ODI rankings and 1 on the t20 rankings speaks volumes about the quality of this guy. All he has to do to be number one is to get a century or 2 in the next couple games and pray kohli fails again in the England series. The gap just needs to get smaller and number one here we come:afridi1
 
Congrats to Babar.Need to increase the gear in tests.Then he will be a complete top batsman.
 
AssassinatedDevil said:
I don't care what people may say about the quality of the opposition that Babar scored runs against throughout his career. The sheer achievement of reaching number 2 on the ODI rankings and 1 on the t20 rankings speaks volumes about the quality of this guy. All he has to do to be number one is to get a century or 2 in the next couple games and pray kohli fails again in the England series. The gap just needs to get smaller and number one here we come:afridi1
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To be honest most of our so called ODI greats were rubbish against quality bowling

Apart from Miandad and Abbas noone was better than Azam at his age.
 
I still find it hard to rate him as one of world's best. He is definitely our best.The point gaps bw Kohli and the rest is massive.
 
Congratulations to Babar but he has much more to accomplish. He is still playing the game solely with his raw abilities. If can can find the hunger and build himself up, he can easily become the second best limited overs batsman after Kohli.
 
One of the best batsman to have come from Punjab, he has the ability to score on any pitch in any conditions.
 
A grand total of one century against a team not named Sri Lanka or West Indies, that too in a losing cause and this guy is ranked number 2. Unbelievable.
 
Rahul1 said:
A grand total of one century against a team not named Sri Lanka or West Indies, that too in a losing cause and this guy is ranked number 2. Unbelievable.
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Well, if he is not good enough, then it will reflect in long term ranking. Ranking is just a mathematical formula and it evens out when you take a long period. He can't be rank 2 for too long if he doesn't scores heavily against all teams.

Having said that, over all he did well enough against oppositions he has played so far to get to rank 2. Why do you think that he shouldn't be rank 2? If he maintains rank 2 for few years just by scoring against WI and SL then I can see your point, but nothing wrong in reaching to rank 2.

Maintaining a rank is true sign of greatness and hopefully he does it.
 
He probably isn't the best 2nd ODI batsmen but he's performed well in ODIs since his debut. Very good achievement.
 
Itachi said:
Can anyone mention the oppositions?
Click to expand...

Here you go.. He has done a pretty good job imo.

Australia - 56.4 avg (282 runs total)
England - 37.37 avg (299 runs total)
India - 27 avg (54 runs total)
Ireland - 29 avg (29 runs total)
NZ - 25.15 (176 runs total)
SA - no avg (31* runs total)
Sri - 58.33 (350 runs total)
WI - 102.88 (514 runs total)
Zim - 54 (54 runs total)
 
lol people still crying he only scored against WI and SL. So what? Other players have played WI and SL just as many times if not more (ex Kohli matches 38 av. 46) i guess whatever helps you sleep at night. :fz
 
todfod 11 said:
2nd only to Great Kohli is an great achievement in itself... Congrates to Babar.
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Achievement only if it lasts a substantial period. After Kohli, the next 9 batsmen aren't that far apart, so you can expect players going up and down quite frequently.
 
AssassinatedDevil said:
I don't care what people may say about the quality of the opposition that Babar scored runs against throughout his career. The sheer achievement of reaching number 2 on the ODI rankings and 1 on the t20 rankings speaks volumes about the quality of this guy. All he has to do to be number one is to get a century or 2 in the next couple games and pray kohli fails again in the England series. The gap just needs to get smaller and number one here we come:afridi1
Click to expand...

There is more chances of Azam dropping from #2 than climbing up to #1. Gap between #2 and #4 is mere 13points whereas gap between #1 and #2 is almost 100 points. He should definately aim big but then form Kohli is in, to topple him will require Azam to take his game to whole new level.
 
I want pakistani players to do well just like everyone else here, but the fact that's gone up to number 2 in the rankings just shows how screwed up the rankings are. Folks here really believe he's the 2nd best batsmen in the world after Kohli in ODIs? The ranking system, for both players and teams, need to be completely redone. They have become a joke.
 
CanadianG00se said:
There is more chances of Azam dropping from #2 than climbing up to #1. Gap between #2 and #4 is mere 13points whereas gap between #1 and #2 is almost 100 points. He should definately aim big but then form Kohli is in, to topple him will require Azam to take his game to whole new level.
Click to expand...

I agree that it will be a herculean task to topple Kohli but if anyone can do it, then it's the number 2 ranked batsman, which is our boy :babar. A couple of daddy hundreds against Zimbabwe and that gap will only shorten. In all seriousness though, he should aim at not losing his number 2 ranking for now and not bother about the number one ranking.
 
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adil_909 said:
I want pakistani players to do well just like everyone else here, but the fact that's gone up to number 2 in the rankings just shows how screwed up the rankings are. Folks here really believe he's the 2nd best batsmen in the world after Kohli in ODIs? The ranking system, for both players and teams, need to be completely redone. They have become a joke.
Click to expand...

I for one don't believe that he is the second best ODI batsman in the world, but he definitely is the best ODI batsman in his age bracket. Besides, these rankings are fun for bragging rights than anything else, and nothing more fun than having a batsman from your team ranked so highly :babar
 
CanadianG00se said:
There is more chances of Azam dropping from #2 than climbing up to #1. Gap between #2 and #4 is mere 13points whereas gap between #1 and #2 is almost 100 points. He should definately aim big but then form Kohli is in, to topple him will require Azam to take his game to whole new level.
Click to expand...

Wasnt Azam ahead of Kohli at number 1 position a few months ago?
 
adil_909 said:
I want pakistani players to do well just like everyone else here, but the fact that's gone up to number 2 in the rankings just shows how screwed up the rankings are. Folks here really believe he's the 2nd best batsmen in the world after Kohli in ODIs? The ranking system, for both players and teams, need to be completely redone. They have become a joke.
Click to expand...

If he stays there for 6 more months, folks here really will have to believe that. There is nothing wrong with rankings, but what's wrong here is how you guys interpret it. How does being ranked #2 for a day make someone the 2nd best?
 
Madplayer said:
Wasnt Azam ahead of Kohli at number 1 position a few months ago?
Click to expand...

You’re confusing with T20Is rankings. Kohli was dropped from #1 ranking in T20Is as he has been rested recently and Azam on the other hand scored heavily against SL/WI which made him reach #1. In Odis, its very unlikely that Kohli will be rested specially against England, so it will be really challenging for Azam to go pass Kohli.
 
BlackShadow said:
If he stays there for 6 more months, folks here really will have to believe that. There is nothing wrong with rankings, but what's wrong here is how you guys interpret it. How does being ranked #2 for a day make someone the 2nd best?
Click to expand...

Its not about whether he stays at that position for certain period of time. The real challenge for him will be performing against teams that he have struggled historically. Upcoming Asia cup and tour to SA will be a big test for Azam.
 
He'll most likely be playing against Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins to test his #1 status in T20s, so let's see where that goes.
 
AssassinatedDevil said:
Nah. Kohli is almost 30. He won't get much better from this point. He is arguably in his purple patch, whereas babar hasn't reached it yet. I doubt kohli at 40 (if he plays that long) would be as good as kohli at 30.
Click to expand...

Kohli can maintain his form and fitness till he reaches 35-36, by then hopefully upcoming Indian young batsmen will takeover the reign from him.
 
Really good work by him.

I think he's already our best ODI batsman ever. Definitely our best T20 bat ever. Only maybe Zaheer Abbas might be considered better.

Definitely better than Inzi or Yousuf already, who were arguably the last two good ODI batsmen we had before Babar came along.
 
ads101 said:
Really good work by him.

I think he's already our best ODI batsman ever. Definitely our best T20 bat ever. Only maybe Zaheer Abbas might be considered better.

Definitely better than Inzi or Yousuf already, who were arguably the last two good ODI batsmen we had before Babar came along.
Click to expand...

Not even close. Anwar was much, much better than Babar.
 
ads101 said:
Really good work by him.

I think he's already our best ODI batsman ever. Definitely our best T20 bat ever. Only maybe Zaheer Abbas might be considered better.

Definitely better than Inzi or Yousuf already, who were arguably the last two good ODI batsmen we had before Babar came along.
Click to expand...

How is he better than Inzi or Yousuf? Just based on the average? Or are you saying that Babar has better cricketing ability than Inzi? These sort of hyperbole's should stop. Let the guy play 100 ODI's. He is not a finished product yet. He has had a great start to his international career. He needs to sustain it to be considered better than anyone.
 
ads101 said:
Really good work by him.

I think he's already our best ODI batsman ever. Definitely our best T20 bat ever. Only maybe Zaheer Abbas might be considered better.

Definitely better than Inzi or Yousuf already, who were arguably the last two good ODI batsmen we had before Babar came along.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say he is our best batsman ever in any format but 5 more years should be enough time to arrive at a definitive conclusion.
 
For those complaining about teams being tier 2 or that he hasnt played enough.
Firstly every small achievement is an achievement in itself you cant take away from Babar. These are small steps he has achieved which would boost him personally to perform better in future. It will tell him that he belongs and can do when it matters.

Secondly he hasnt played enough cricket and has achieved to be No. 2 just second to none other than Kohli is again a great achievement. To not play enough and being ranked no. 2.
I mean how many batsmen have achieved it over tthe years? I still wanna see him grow as a batsmen and achieve way more in int. cricket. No achievement is small specially when u playing for your country.
 
He has definitely had a good start to his international career.But I would like to see him do well in pressure situations and against top teams.
 
giri26 said:
How is he better than Inzi or Yousuf? Just based on the average? Or are you saying that Babar has better cricketing ability than Inzi? These sort of hyperbole's should stop. Let the guy play 100 ODI's. He is not a finished product yet. He has had a great start to his international career. He needs to sustain it to be considered better than anyone.
Click to expand...

I think people overrate Inzi and Yousuf. They were good but they weren't spectacular ODI bats. And none of them averaged anywhere near to what Babar does. And Babar seems to be able to keep the runs ticking effortlessly which yousuf and Inzi weren't able to do to that degree.

Might be early, but atm Babar's performing to Great Level. I don't recall that standard of performance from Inzi or Yousuf. And it's likely Babar will keep this sort of thing up, his game is mega consistent with little risk. Hard to really pull these guys down. Inzi and Yousuf also didn't do great against the top teams. Babar doesn't have this problem so much.

Maybe Anwar is better too than Babar though. Fair enough.
 
He isn't a no.2 at all, take away all that minnow bashing and he's probably a no.38. This why you shouldn't use rankings as the be and end all to justify almost every view you have [MENTION=97523]Buffet[/MENTION] :ashwin
 
shaz619 said:
He isn't a no.2 at all, take away all that minnow bashing and he's probably a no.38. This why you shouldn't use rankings as the be and end all to justify almost every view you have [MENTION=97523]Buffet[/MENTION] :ashwin
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Itna bhi bura Nahi he yaar. He is still the best young batsman in the world across LOIs.
 
Babar Azam 2000 runs ODI countdown

Babar Azam is currently at 1973 runs in 46 matches and is 27 runs away from 2000 runs I know it's not a big deal but still fun to count It down. Will he be able to get in on his 47th game Agaisnt Hong Kong or will he have to wait and reach the mark Agaisnt India
 
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