Pakistan players drop in latest ICC ODI rankings after Champions Trophy setback

Pakistan’s players have seen a decline in the latest ICC ODI rankings following their underwhelming performances in the recent tri-nation series and the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 

The opening batter, Fakhar Zaman, who made his comeback to the ODI format during the tri-nation series, has seen a significant drop in the rankings. He played just one match in the ongoing Champions Trophy against New Zealand before being ruled out due to injury. He has dropped from 17th to 19th place, now with 621 points.

ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan also saw a dip, falling one place to 21st position with 616 points after recent setbacks. Imam-ul-Haq held onto his 32nd spot, while the injured Saim Ayub dropped two places, moving from 35th to 37th with 572 points. Vice-captain Salman Ali Agha remains in 46th place. Notably, no other Pakistan batter is ranked in the top 100 of the ODI rankings.

On the other hand, India’s Shubman Gill retained his position as the No.1 ODI batter, while his teammate Virat Kohli rose to 4th place after his Player of the Match performance against Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final. Pakistan’s batter Babar Azam remains in second place with 770 points, while South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen is in third with 760 points.

In the bowling rankings, Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi maintained his ninth spot despite some expensive spells during the Champions Trophy against New Zealand and India. Fellow pacer Haris Rauf fell two places, moving from 22nd to 24th with 553 points. Naseem Shah also dropped a place, sitting now at 43rd, while Abrar Ahmed slid down to 50th.

New Zealand’s Matt Henry made a significant rise in the bowling rankings, moving to third place with 649 rating points, behind Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana (1st) and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj (2nd). Indian seamer Mohammed Shami saw a resurgence, climbing three spots to 11th place with 609 points after a strong showing in the Champions Trophy. South Africa’s Marco Jansen jumped nine places to 18th, while England’s Jofra Archer made the biggest leap, moving up 13 spots to share the 19th position.

Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai has made history by becoming the top-ranked all-rounder in the ICC ODI rankings. His stellar performances in the Champions Trophy, including a maiden five-wicket haul against England and a half-century against Australia, propelled him to the No.1 spot, dethroning teammate Mohammad Nabi, who now sits second. Omarzai climbed two places and achieved a career-high rating of 296 points.

India’s Axar Patel also made a huge leap in the all-rounder rankings, moving up 17 places to 13th with a career-high rating of 194 points.

Omarzai wasn’t the only one to make significant progress in the rankings. He also jumped 12 spots in the ODI batting rankings, now sitting at 24th place with 598 points, following his brilliant 126-runs in the Champions Trophy. Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran also made a notable rise, climbing 13 spots to 10th place with 676 points after his spectacular 177-run performance against England.

Australia’s Steve Smith saw a similar surge, moving up six spots to 16th after his vital contributions with the bat in the Champions Trophy. New Zealand’s veteran Kane Williamson also climbed eight places, reaching 29th position.