Afghanistan Achieves Historic Sixth Place in ICC ODI Rankings
Afghanistan's Historic Climb in ODI Rankings
Photo: @Clutchsportsz/X
Dubai, Nov 2: Afghanistan has reached a significant milestone in their cricketing history by securing the sixth position in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, marking their highest ranking ever in this format.
This advancement allows Afghanistan to surpass Sri Lanka, showcasing their remarkable growth since they began participating in international one-day cricket in 2009. They now rank above several well-established cricketing nations, including Bangladesh, England, and the West Indies.
The recent rankings highlight Afghanistan's increasing consistency in the 50-over format, with a record of 96 wins out of 191 ODIs, resulting in an impressive win-loss ratio of 1.09.
Their rise as a competitive team has been particularly noticeable in major international tournaments. During the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Afghanistan achieved significant victories against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, demonstrating their capability to compete against teams with far more experience.
Afghanistan's success has also extended to T20 cricket, where they reached the semi-finals of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time.
Recent performances have bolstered their reputation further. They completed a 4-0 series victory against Ireland in Ireland and went undefeated in a recent tri-series involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Their momentum continued in T20Is, culminating in a decisive 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe in Sharjah on Sunday. Afghanistan concluded the final match with a seven-wicket victory, dismissing Zimbabwe for a mere 79 runs.
Notably, left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad delivered an outstanding performance, taking 5 wickets for just 13 runs, effectively dismantling Zimbabwe’s batting order. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Abdullah Tarakhail also made significant contributions with early breakthroughs, leaving Zimbabwe struggling at 13 for 3.
Afghanistan completed their chase in just 11.4 overs, with Ibrahim Zadran finishing not out on 25 and Omarzai adding an unbeaten 18.
The series was secured earlier with victories in the first two matches, including Omarzai's explosive 116 off 50 balls that led to a 19-run win in the second T20I, and captain Rashid Khan's all-round performance that was crucial in their 37-run win in the series opener.