Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Afghanistan’s rising star Azmatullah Omarzai has capped off a stellar ICC Champions Trophy campaign by reaching the summit of the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings. At just 25, Omarzai has dethroned his own teammate, veteran Mohammad Nabi, to claim the No. 1 spot, highlighting his meteoric rise on the international stage.
Omarzai’s all-round brilliance in the Champions Trophy, which included a maiden five-wicket haul against England and a crucial fifty against Australia, propelled him to the top with a career-high 296 rating points. His impact wasn’t limited to the all-rounder charts—he also surged 12 places in the batting rankings to No. 24 after scoring 126 runs in the tournament.
India’s Axar Patel was another notable riser in the all-rounder category, leaping 17 spots to 13th, registering a career-best 194 rating points.
India opener Shubman Gill remains in No.1 ranking for ODI batters, with teammate Virat Kohli moving up to fourth following his Player of the Match heroics against Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai.
The latest ICC rankings update also saw significant movement among batters. Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran, who hammered a sensational 177 against England in Lahore, climbed 13 spots to break into the top 10 at No. 10 (676 rating points). Another high profile veteran, Kiwi Kane Williamson, also made a move, climbing eight spots to 29th.
In the bowling department, New Zealand pacer Matt Henry was rewarded for his impressive tournament, rising three spots to third (649 rating points), trailing only Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj.
Mohammed Shami continued his resurgence, climbing three places to 11th, while South Africa’s Marco Jansen (up nine spots to 18th) and England’s Jofra Archer (up 13 places to joint-19th) also made big strides.
