ICC Men's ODI Rankings: Pakistan Suffer Major Blow, Drop Below India
ICC ODI rankings: Babar Azam-led Pakistan entered Asia Cup 2023 tournament as the number one ranked side in ICC Men's ODI Rankings for team.
Asia Cup 2023 Pakistan Ranking: Pakistan faced a bitter 2-wicket loss against defending champions Sri Lanka in their final Asia Cup 2023 Super-4 stage match in Colombo on Thursday (September 14). PAK vs SL Super-4 match was a virtual Asia Cup 2023 semi-final as the winning team secured a place in the Asia Cup 2023 Final while the losing team's journey in the premier continental tournament comes to an end. Sri Lanka will now square off against India in Sunday's blockbuster Asia Cup 2023 Final on September 17. After heartbreaking loss, Pakistan now faces another blow as Babar Azam-led side slipped to third place in the latest ICC Men's ODI rankings. Meanwhile, India moved to second place.
Pakistan entered Asia Cup 2023 as the number one ranked ODI side. They kickstarted their campaign with a convincing win over Nepal. In their second match, which was against India, Pakistan bowlers were on fire as they restricted India to a below-par total. Sadly, rain played spoilsport and the match had to be called off without a single ball being bowled in the second innings.
Pakistan then crushed Bangladesh in their first match in the Super-4 stage. In their second Super-4 stage match, India defeated them by a huge margin of 228 runs. Australia defeated South Africa in their ODI series which also affected ICC ODI Rankings points table. In this way, Pakistan slipped from first to second place in the ODI rankings.
As per the latest ICC ODI rankings, Pakistan stands at third position with 115 rating points. India is at second place with 116 rating points. Australia is at number one with 118 rating points. The teams of England and New Zealand are also in the top 5. England is at fourth position and the New Zealand team is at fifth position.
Here's how India can become number one side in ICC Men's ODI Rankings
India can become the number one team in ICC Men's ODI Rankings for teams if they win their remaining two matches -- IND vs BAN and IND vs SL -- in Asia Cup 2023 tournament.