Pakistan’s rising spin sensation Abrar Ahmed has achieved a major career milestone by breaking into the top three of the ICC Men’s ODI bowling rankings, marking another proud moment for Pakistani cricket on the global stage.
The leg-spinner climbed one spot to third place with 642 rating points in the latest ICC rankings released Wednesday, surpassing New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner in the process. Santner now occupies fourth position alongside Pakistan’s ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, with both bowlers holding 621 points.
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues his reign at the summit of ODI bowling, while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj holds firm in second place. Abrar’s ascent represents a significant achievement for Pakistan’s bowling depth, showcasing the country’s continued production of world-class spin talent.
Shaheen Afridi also made upward movement, advancing one position to share fourth place with Santner. The left-arm pacer’s dual presence in both bowling and all-rounder rankings underscores his growing influence in Pakistan’s limited-overs setup. Meanwhile, fast bowler Haris Rauf maintained his 24th position with 540 points, and Naseem Shah stayed at 55th with 472 points.
On the batting front, former Pakistan captain Babar Azam held steady at ninth position with 661 points, while Salman Ali Agha remained at 13th with 622 points. Fakhar Zaman gained ground by moving up one spot to share 36th place with New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips, both registering 548 points.
The most impressive batting progress came from young opener Saim Ayub, who jumped four places to reach 64th position with 468 points. The 22-year-old’s rapid rise reflects Pakistan’s successful investment in youth development. All-rounder Shadab Khan also improved, climbing one spot to 92nd with 398 points.
India’s Shubman Gill continues to dominate the batting rankings at number one, followed by New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Indian legend Virat Kohli in third.
In the all-rounder category, Salman Ali Agha maintained 13th place while Shaheen Afridi stayed at 16th. Arafat Minhas made notable progress by gaining two positions to reach 31st with 143 points. Naseem Shah climbed one spot to 41st, and Abrar improved to 46th with 129 points.
Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai leads the all-rounder rankings, with Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza second and Afghanistan veteran Mohammad Nabi third.
Abrar’s breakthrough into the top three represents a significant validation of Pakistan’s spin bowling tradition and offers fresh optimism for the national team’s prospects in upcoming ODI assignments.
