Hafeez back as number-one ranked ODI all-rounder
Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez has reclaimed the number-one ranking on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI All-rounders in the latest update released a day after Pakistan beat Zimbabwe to win the three-match series 2-1.
Hafeez, who won the player of the series award for his 232 runs and two wickets, has leapfrogged Shakib Al Hasan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson and Tillakaratne Dilshan after earning 26 ratings points.
Hafeez first surged to the top of the all-rounders’ rankings on 6 January 2013 after the conclusion of the three-match series against India before he conceded the slot to Shakib at the end of the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.
While Hafeez gained 17 places on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, which has put him in a career-best 31st position, he has slipped one place to ninth on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers.
Despite a series defeat, there is some good news for Zimbabwe batsmen, who have improved their rankings.
Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor leads the pack , jumping five places to 25th spot following his contribution of 148 runs at an average of 78. The other batsmen to head in the right direction are Sean Williams in 57th (up by eight) and Hamilton Masakadza in 58th (up by 12).
South Africa’s Hashim Amla continues to lead the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, with his captain AB de Villiers in second place and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara in third spot.
Meanwhile, Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has moved up two places to third in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers. He took six wickets in the series and is now just 10 ratings points behind Ravindra Jadeja and Sunil Narine, who share the number-one spot.
Jadeja will have the first shot at an outright lead at the top of the tree when he’s expected to take the field against Australia in Pune on 13 October. While West Indies’ first ODI of the season is against New Zealand in Auckland on 26 December, Pakistan will be in action in limited overs cricket against South Africa for a five-ODI series that starts in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on 30 October.
Pakistan drops one ratings points despite series win
Meanwhile, Pakistan has dropped a point while Zimbabwe has gained three ratings points on the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings Table.
Pakistan had entered the series leading Zimbabwe by 50 ratings points and this gap meant Pakistan was expected to win the series convincingly. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, Pakistan’s failure to win all the matches has resulted in it conceding one ratings point and Zimbabwe gaining three ratings points.
Upcoming Fixtures
Ireland v England
3 Sep: One-off ODI, Dublin
Scotland v Australia
3 Sep: One-off ODI, Edinburgh
England v Australia
6 Sep: 1st ODI, Headingley, Leeds
8 Sep: 2nd ODI, Old Trafford, Manchester
11 Sep: 3rd ODI, Edgbaston, Birmingham (D/N)
14 Sep: 4th ODI, Cardiff
16 Sep: 5th ODI, Southampton (D/N)
Ireland v Scotland (Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship)
6 Sep: 1st ODI, Belfast
8 Sep: 2nd ODI, Belfast
Reliance ICC ODI Rankings (as on 31 August) (after Zimbabwe-Pakistan series)
| Rank | (+/-) | Teams | Rating | (+/-) |
| 1 | India | 123 | ||
| 2 | Australia | 114 | ||
| 3 | England | 112 | ||
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 111 | ||
| 5 | South Africa | 105 | ||
| 6 | (-) | Pakistan | 101 | (-1) |
| 7 | New Zealand | 89 | ||
| 8 | West Indies | 89 | ||
| 9 | Bangladesh | 76 | ||
| 10 | (-) | Zimbabwe | 55 | (-3) |
| 11 | Ireland | 35 | ||
| 12 | Netherlands | 13 | ||
| 13 | Kenya | 10 |
Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 31 August) (after Zimbabwe-Pakistan series and Canada-Netherlands Pepsi ICC WCL Championship)
Batsmen ****
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Points | Average | HS Rating |
| 1 | (-) | Hashim Amla | SA | 853 | 54.85 | 901 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2012 |
| 2 | (-) | AB de Villiers | SA | 845 | 48.88 | 883 v Ind at Cardiff 2013 |
| 3 | (-) | K Sangakara | SL | 829! | 39.99 | 829 v SA at Colombo (RPS) 2013 |
| 4 | (-) | Virat Kohli | Ind | 819 | 49.72 | 866 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2012 |
| 5 | (-) | Jonathan Trott | Eng | 789 | 52.66 | 796 v SA at The Oval 2013 |
| 6 | (-) | T Dilshan | SL | 746 | 37.46 | 765 v NZ at Colombo (RPS) 2011 |
| 7 | (-) | MS Dhoni | Ind | 741 | 51.45 | 836 v Aus at Delhi 2009 |
| 8 | (-) | Misbah-ul-Haq | Pak | 722 | 45.13 | 727 v Zim at Harare 2013 |
| 9 | (-) | Alastair Cook | Eng | 768 | 38.85 | 752 v Aus at Lord's 2012 |
| 10 | (-) | Ross Taylor | NZ | 669 | 38.31 | 693 v Aus at Adelaide 2009 |
Selected Rankings
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Points | Ave | HS Rating |
| 25 | (+5) | Brendon Taylor | Zim | 617 | 33.69 | 667 v NZ at Napier 2012 |
| 31 | (+17) | M Hafeez | Pak | 594! | 28.90 | 594 v Zim at Harare 2013 |
| 33 | (-) | N Jamshed | Pak | 588* | 37.66 | 589 v SA at Bloemfontein 2013 |
| 48 | (-1) | Shahid Afridi | Pak | 545 | 23.51 | 663 v Ind at Lahore 1997 |
| 57 | (+8) | Shean Williams | Zim | 518 | 31.55 | 527 v Pak at Harare 2013 |
| 58 | (+12) | H Masakadza | Zim | 516 | 27.43 | 566 v Ban at Mirpur 2009 |
| 66 | (-2) | Vusi Sibanda | Zim | 499 | 25.28 | 512 v Pak at Harare 2013 |
| 76 | (-6) | E Chigumbura | Zim | 476 | 23.98 | 554 v SA at Bulawayo 2007 |
| 83 | (+15) | Malcolm Waller | Zim | 461*! | 23.53 | 461 v Pak at Harare 2013 |
Bowlers
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Points | Ave. | Econ | HS Rating |
| 1 | (-) | Ravindra Jadeja | Ind | 733 | 30.60 | 4.62 | 738 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013 |
| 1 | (-) | Sunil Narine | WI | 733* | 24.40 | 4.13 | 791 v SL at Jamaica 2013 |
| 3 | (+2) | Saeed Ajmal | Pak | 723 | 22.93 | 4.17 | 810 v SA at Centurion 2013 |
| 4 | (-1) | Steven Finn | Eng | 718* | 26.94 | 4.67 | 755 v NZ at Auckland 2013 |
| 5 | (-1) | James Anderson | Eng | 714 | 29.11 | 4.97 | 719 v SA at The Oval 2013 |
| 6 | (-) | Rangana Herath | SL | 699 | 32.80 | 4.23 | 703 v SA at Pallekele 2013 |
| 7 | (-) | Clint McKay | Aus | 684 | 22.07 | 4.62 | 689 v NZ at Edgbaston 2013 |
| 8 | (+1) | L Tsotsobe | SA | 673 | 24.18 | 4.84 | 743 v NZ at Auckland 2012 |
| 9 | (-1) | M Hafeez | Pak | 666 | 34.50 | 4.00 | 769 v Ind at Kolkata 2013 |
| 10 | (-) | Abdur Razzak | Ban | 663 | 27.81 | 4.47 | 679 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013 |
Selected Rankings
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Rating | Ave | Econ | HS Rating |
| 26 | (+6) | Junaid Khan | Pak | 587* | 23.82 | 4.87 | 598 v Zim at Harare 2013 |
| 31 | (-2) | Mohammad Irfan | Pak | 564* | 27.36 | 4.59 | 578 v WI at St Lucia 2013 |
| 32 | (-5) | Shahid Afridi | Pak | 559 | 33.93 | 4.62 | 673 v Ban at Mirpur 2011 |
| 47 | (-) | Prosper Utseya | Zim | 506 | 47.82 | 4.34 | 663 v Ban at Harare 2006 |
| 50 | (+25) | Abdur Rehman | Pak | 496*! | 36.41 | 4.19 | 496 v Zim at Harare 2013 |
| 74 | (+24) | Brian Vitori | Zim | 430 | 27.27 | 5.38 | 432 v Pak at Harare 2013 |
| 82 | (+33) | Tendai Chatara | Zim | 418*! | 34.21 | 4.86 | 418 v Pak at Harare 2013 |
| 96 | (-9) | E Chigumbura | Zim | 385 | 40.83 | 5.88 | 460 v Ban at Mirpur 2009 |
All-rounders
| Rank | (+/-) | Player | Team | Points | HS Rating |
| 1 | (+4) | M Hafeez | Pak | 396 | 438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013 |
| 2 | (-1) | Shakib Al Hasan | Ban | 387 | 453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009 |
| 3 | (-) | Ravindra Jadeja | Ind | 377 | 378 v Eng at Edgbaston 2013 |
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! |
Indicates career-highest rating |
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* |
Indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after a minimum of 40 started innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating after he has conceded 1,500 runs |
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