Despite not playing an ODI since November 2023, Babar Azam kept his place at the top.
After star batsman Babar Azam maintained his position atop the ODI rankings, former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali poked fun at the International Cricket Council (ICC). Babar maintained his position at the top, followed by three Indian players, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, despite not having played an ODI since November 2023. Speaking about the most recent ICC rankings, Basit implied that Babar has remained at the top because the ICC doesn’t want him to perform.
Basit also questioned the ranking system’s reasoning, pointing out that elite hitters like Australia’s Travis Head and New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra were missing from the list.
“I noticed that Babar Azam was ranked first among ODI hitters by the ICC, followed by Rohit Sharma at number two, Shubman Gill at number three, and Virat Kohli at number four. Since I was unable to view Travis Head and Rachin Ravindra, I did not feel the need to read the remaining names. In my opinion, the ICC would prefer that Babar not perform. In one-day formats, he would be content to be the top hitter in the rankings. These rankings are given by whom? How come Shubman Gill and Babar Azam are there? “Basit posted on his YouTube account.
“The World Cup last year was Baber’s last ODI. At the World Cup, we witnessed players like Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock, Travis Head, and Rachin Ravindra. In the competition, they received three or four hundreds. Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman both struck a century for Pakistan. What classification system do they use?” he continued.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, made a significant leap in the rankings, moving up to the second position after dominating the bat in the three-game ODI series against Sri Lanka.
In a series when few hitters were able to establish themselves, Rohit finished as the series’ leading scorer with 157 runs at an average of 52.33, a strike-rate of 141.44, and two half-centuries.
