Pakistan regained the top spot in the ODI rankings with the victory, but as the team prepares for the Asia Cup, India poses a serious danger.
Pakistan easily glided to a fantastic whitewash against Afghanistan in the three-match series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday, with the exception of that thrilling match in the second ODI. In the third and final ODI of the series, Pakistan’s bowling attack put up a masterful performance, with Shadab Khan picking up three wickets before Mohammad Rizwan’s brilliant 67 off 79. The Babar Azam-led team won by 59 runs. With the victory, Pakistan regained the top spot in ODI rankings, but as the team prepares for the Asia Cup, India poses a serious danger.
After deciding to bat first, Pakistan lost both of its openers before Babar and Rizwan put up a 110-run partnership to rally the team. Before the start of the slog overs, Afghanistan fought back bravely, taking three wickets in the space of only 15 deliveries, before significant cameos from Agha Salman and Mohammad Nawaz enabled Pakistan set a target of 269 runs.
As a result of Pakistani bowlers striking frequently, Afghanistan’s response never fully took off. There were a few helpful hits from the middle order, but they weren’t enough to help Afghanistan reach the objective or even threaten Pakistan. Afghanistan eventually lost for a score of 209, giving Pakistan a 3-0 victory in the one-day international series.
Pakistan overtook Australia for the top rank in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings following the series victory by a score of 3-0. In the 50-over format, the Asian team has been unchallenged for more than a year. They easily defeated the West Indies and Netherlands 3-0 at home and away, respectively, and defeated New Zealand 2-1 in January this year.
In April, when the Blackcaps were back for a five-game ODI series, Pakistan had just completed a stunning 4-1 victory, which had earned them the top spot in the rankings for the first time during Babar’s rule.
Pakistan occupied the second position going into the Afghanistan series, trailing top-ranked Australia (118), with 115.8 rating points. In the rankings chart, Pakistan now holds the top spot with 118.48 rating points, narrowly surpassing Australia.
