Imam-ul-Haq rises in ICC ODI Batting Rankings

Pakistan’s left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq climbed a spot to take the third position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Imam-ul-Haq achieved a rise in the batting rankings as a result of his valiant half-century in the first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan.

The left-handed opener, assisted by two boundaries, hit a valiant 61 off 94 deliveries.

Imam surpassed third-ranked hitter Shubman Gill by 11 after his anchoring performance, which saw him gain seven rating points.

Fakhar Zaman, the other Pakistani opener, saw a different fate as he fell two spots to fifth in the most recent ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings.

Notably, Fakhar could score a mere two runs in the aforementioned match and consequently dropped 15 rating points.

Fakhar’s demotion paved the way for his opening partner Imam-ul-Haq and India’s Gill to climb up.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam continued his hold on the supreme position but lost six rating points after falling for a three-ball duck in the first ODI against Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s star with the ball, Haris Rauf, who claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in the format, jumped seven places to 36th in the ODI Bowling Rankings while Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s 3/33 propelled him to earn the third rank.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan kicked off their preparations for the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s World Cup in India with a dominating 142-run victory over Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan could raise a modest 201 despite Imam-ul-Haq’s fighting half-century as Afghanistan spinners dominated the first half.

In addition to Imam, Shadab Khan (39), and Iftikhar Ahmed (30) contributed significantly.

The Afghanistan batting squad absolutely failed to reach the target of 202 against a merciless pace-heavy Pakistani bowling assault.

Haris Rauf led Pakistan's bowling attack as they dismissed Afghanistan for just 59 runs, helping them to a decisive victory.

Haris Rauf was chosen as the Player of the Match for his bowling prowess.