Archer Closes In On Maharaj's No. 1 Spot In ICC ODI Rankings

Archer closes in on Maharaj's No. 1 spot in ICC ODI rankings (Image Source: IANS)

Jofra Archer: England pacer Jofra Archer has closed in on the top spot in the ODI bowlers rankings following the completion of their recent home series South Africa, which ended in a 1-2 defeat for the hosts.

Archer picked up eight scalps in the series, which included a wonderful spell of 4-18 in the series finale at Southampton, and was rewarded by climbing 16 spots to move to third overall on the updated rankings for ODI bowlers.

The right-arm pacer now trails No.1 ranked ODI bowler Keshav Maharaj by only 26 rating points, with the South African spinner maintaining his place at the top of the rankings following eight scalps of his own across the series against England, ICC reports.

Archer's teammate Adil Rashid improved seven spots to eighth on the same list for ODI bowlers.

In the batting chart, the England trio Joe Root (up five places to 19th), Jos Buttler (up seven rungs to 35th) and Jacob Bethell (up 56 spots to 65th) all make ground in the latest rankings update.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's victorious T20I tri-series, which features hosts UAE and Afghanistan, saw a group of players making improvements in the updated T20I rankings.

Pakistan left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem rose seven places to 15th overall on the back of his two-wicket haul in the final. Pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi jumped four spots to 22nd, while leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed improved 39 spots to equal 27th following six scalps from two appearances at the event.

Mohammad Nawaz, who was adjudged Player of the Series for his 10 wickets, was rewarded by climbing 13 rungs to move to 30th overall on the list for T20I bowlers that remains headed by New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy.

Pakistan left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem rose seven places to 15th overall on the back of his two-wicket haul in the final. Pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi jumped four spots to 22nd, while leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed improved 39 spots to equal 27th following six scalps from two appearances at the event.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza climbs three places to fourth overall on the list for T20I all-rounders following a string of decent efforts against Sri Lanka.

Article Source: IANS