Pakistan climb up to sixth spot in ODI rankings

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Sarfraz will lead the 16-man squad for the three-match T20I series. © Getty

Pakistan’s historic Champions Trophy triumph came with an added boost to their standing in the ICC ODI Rankings for teams. Wins over three of the top-four – South Africa, India and England – in the competition have lifted Sarfraz Ahmed’s side to sixth place following the latest revision to the rankings table.

Pakistan, who entered the eight-man tournament as the lowest-ranked side, now find themselves with 95 ranking points: a point ahead of Bangladesh and two clear of Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, despite their runners-up finish in the Champions Trophy, India stay third on the points table with 116 points, trailing Australia by a point and toppers South Africa by three. England and New Zealand complete the top-five.

“We are on the right track, everything is going right at the moment. I am happy with the brand of cricket we have been playing and want to continue the momentum. We have got two years until 2019. We have got enough points and now we do not have to go through qualifiers, we want to work hard from here. We have to identify the players we want to take forward,” Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur said after the title victory.

Pakistan’s climb puts the Windies in a quandary. Ranked ninth, with only 77 rating points to their name, Windies face an improbable race against time to finish in the top-eight before the September 30 deadline in order to get a direct entry into World Cup 2019. Failure to do so will see the Jason Holder-led side having to play the 2018 World Cup qualifier to seek entry for the ten-team event in England. Having already missed the Champions Trophy, missing out on a World Cup could serve as a damning indictment of their sinking fortunes.

ODI RANKINGS
Rank Teams Ratings
1 South Africa 119
2 Australia 117
3 India 116
4 England 113
5 New Zealand 111
6 Pakistan 95
7 Bangladesh 94
8 Sri Lanka 93
9 West Indies 77
10 Afghanistan 54
11 Zimbabwe 46
12 Ireland 41