Despite suffering a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Afghanistan, several Bangladesh cricketers have made positive strides in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Rankings, released on Wednesday.
Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who took five wickets during the series, climbed four spots to reach 24th in the bowling rankings. Fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib made the biggest jump, rising 24 places to 67th after claiming five wickets in the first two ODIs. He was not included in the squad for the third match.
Bangladesh’s bowling unit performed admirably throughout the series, but their efforts were often undone by underwhelming performances from the batting line-up.
One bright spot with the bat was Towhid Hridoy, who was rewarded for his half-century in the opening match by moving up seven places to 42nd in the batting rankings. He is now the highest-ranked Bangladesh batter. Hridoy scored 56 in the first ODI but failed to capitalise in the remaining games, posting scores of 24 and 7.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings after a stellar series in Abu Dhabi. Rashid took 11 wickets across the three matches, including a five-wicket haul in the second ODI, helping his side secure a clean sweep. His efforts saw him jump five places to the top with 710 rating points, 30 ahead of South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj. Rashid last held the top ranking in November 2024.
Afghanistan pacer Azmatullah Omarzai also reached a career-high 21st position in the bowling rankings, surging 19 places after taking seven wickets in the series.
In the batting charts, Afghan opener Ibrahim Zadran made a significant leap, moving up eight places to a career-best second position. He amassed 213 runs over the three matches and was named Player of the Series. Zadran’s rating of 764 is the highest ever achieved by an Afghanistan batter in ODI history, surpassing Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s previous record of 686 points. His second-place ranking is also the best ever by an Afghan batter in ODIs, trailing only Indian captain Shubman Gill.
