Rohit Sharma returns to No.1 in ODI rankings; Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza tops T20I all-rounders list

Rohit Sharma has reclaimed the top ODI batter ranking, while Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza became the No.1 T20I all-rounder for the first time. The latest ICC rankings saw major shifts across formats, with strong gains for players from Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Dubai: Rohit Sharma regained the top rank among ODI batters, while Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza achieved the No.1 spot in the T20I all-rounders rankings for the first time in his career, reflecting his recent strong form in the latest ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings.

Raza has been in excellent form for his team in the ongoing tri-series with Sri Lanka and hosts Pakistan. His latest performance was against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, where he scored a rapid 37 runs and bowled four economical overs in a nine-wicket defeat.

---

Raza’s performance was sufficient for him to surpass Pakistan’s Saim Ayub in the T20I all-rounders rankings, with the 39-year-old reaching the top spot for the first time in his 13-year international career.

Raza has remained in the top 10 rankings since the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with his recent performances highlighting his consistent form in the shortest format of the game. He was recently ranked No.1 as the ODI all-rounder in September and is now second in the same category for the longer white-ball format.

Ayub drops to second in T20I all-rounders rankings, while Mohammad Nawaz moves up to seventh after strong performances in the tri-series.

Pakistan players continue to improve, with Sahibzada Farhan climbing eight spots to rank fourth among T20I batters, and former captain Babar Azam rising five spots to reach 29th after scoring a recent half-century.

All three formats see reshuffles in the top 10 this week, including a notable change at the ODI summit, where India veteran Rohit Sharma retakes the top spot back from New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell.

Mitchell had to sit out the final two matches of the Black Caps’ ODI series sweep over the West Indies at home, resulting in the right-hander losing valuable rating points and falling below Rohit at the top of the ODI batter rankings. The Kiwis saw some positive movements as Rachin Ravindra advanced one spot to 12th and Devon Conway climbed 11 places to 31st. Meanwhile, West Indies captain Shai Hope improved two positions to eighth after scoring an unbeaten century in the second match of the series against New Zealand.

The Black Caps see their rankings improve in the ODI bowlers list, with Mitchell Santner (up one place to sixth) and Matt Henry (up one spot to joint 10th) benefiting most from their 3-0 series sweep.

The latest Test rankings also show several Australian players advancing after their impressive win against England in Perth, while stars from Bangladesh are making similar progress following their victory over Ireland at home.

Australia’s Travis Head delivered a match-winning innings in Perth’s fourth innings, helping his team secure victory. His performance earned him a four-place rise to sixth in the latest Test batter rankings.

England’s left-hander Ollie Pope moved up four spots to rank 24th, also making progress among Test batters. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim rose seven places to 30th, Litton Das climbed eight spots to 37th, and Mominul Haque advanced eight places to tie at 46th. These updates follow their team’s 217-run win over Ireland in Mirpur.

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc climbs four spots to fifth place and achieves a new career-high Test bowler rating after his Player of the Match performance against England. For Bangladesh, Taijul Islam advances four places to 15th, marking the biggest rise.

There is also a change near the top of the list for Test all-rounders as Ben Stokes moves up one place to second behind India’s Ravindra Jadeja, while Starc gains two spots to leap to fifth.