Sri Lanka and Afghanistan Rise in ODI Rankings as England Slip to Eighth

The conclusion of two recent tri-series tournaments has brought significant changes to the ICC Men’s ODI rankings. Matches played in the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan have affected the standings, with England dropping two places to eighth. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have each climbed one spot to occupy sixth and seventh positions, respectively.

Afghanistan lifted the trophy after defeating Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final of the tri-series in Sharjah. The title-winning campaign boosted Afghanistan’s rating points to 94, helping them move ahead of England in the rankings.

England, on the other hand, endured a disappointing run in the series held in Pakistan. Despite posting a massive total of 429 runs in the first innings against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, Harry Brook’s side suffered a thrilling two-wicket defeat. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, not only defeated England but also delivered impressive performances against the hosts, taking their rating points to 95 and climbing to sixth place in the rankings.

The gap between the teams ranked sixth to eighth is now extremely narrow. Sri Lanka lead this group with 95 points, followed by Afghanistan with 94, while England sit eighth with 93 points.

Although Zimbabwe missed out on the title, their performance in the UAE tri-series offered plenty of positives. They gained two rating points to reach a total of 63, which helped them climb to 11th place in the rankings.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, failed to make any progress after ending their campaign on a disappointing note. Consecutive defeats against Pakistan in both matches saw the Tigers lose two valuable rating points, taking their total down to 81. However, despite the decline in points, Bangladesh remain unchanged in ninth place.

There has been no change among the top five teams in the rankings. India continue to hold the top spot with 115 points, followed by New Zealand with 109, South Africa with 104, Pakistan with 103, and Australia with 102 points.