New Zealand star batter Daryl Mitchell overtakes Rohit Sharma to claim top spot in ICC ODI batting rankings

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Daryl Mitchell has overtaken Rohit Sharma to claim the top spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings, becoming only the second New Zealander to do so. His rise was propelled by a match-winning century against the West Indies in the opening game of their series. Meanwhile, South Africa‘s captain Temba Bavuma also made significant gains, entering the top five in Test batting rankings for the first time, following his resilient innings in the recently concluded Test against India. Pakistan’s players also made noteworthy progress in the ODI and T20I rankings, fueled by their dominant series performances.

Mitchell’s ascent to the number one position in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings ended Rohit’s reign, which lasted just 22 days. Mitchell scored his seventh ODI century with a crucial 119-ball 119 in the series opener against the West Indies, earning the Player of the Match award and enough rating points to edge past Rohit and Afghanistan‘s Ibrahim Zadran. At 34 years old, Mitchell joins Glenn Turner as the only New Zealanders to have held the No.1 ODI batter ranking, with Turner’s tenure dating back to 1979. This achievement places Mitchell among New Zealand cricket’s elite alongside legends such as Martin Crowe, Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, and Ross Taylor, who have all ranked highly but never reached the top spot in ODI batting.​

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South African captain Bavuma has had a breakthrough in Test cricket, climbing into the top five of the ICC Test batting rankings for the first time after a gritty unbeaten 55 runs against India in Kolkata. This innings helped South Africa take a 1-0 lead in the current series and propelled them to second place in the ICC World Test Championship rankings, just behind Australia. His leadership and consistent performances have been pivotal in revitalizing South Africa’s Test fortunes.

Indian batter Shubman Gill also rose to 11th despite injury setbacks, while Bangladesh’s Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahmudul Hasan Joy saw significant ranking leaps due to their recent Test centuries. India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah maintained his No.1 spot in Test bowling rankings after a strong performance, with teammates Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja making career-best climbs. South African bowlers Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer also gained rankings following their displays against India, with Jansen moving to fifth among Test all-rounders.​

In the ODI rankings, Pakistan players made marked improvements after their 3-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka. Mohammad Rizwan moved up to equal 22nd, Fakhar Zaman reached equal 26th, while bowlers Abrar Ahmed and Haris Rauf climbed to ninth and 23rd respectively in the bowling rankings led by Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan. In T20I rankings, New Zealand’s Tim Robinson and Devon Conway made progress among batters; left-arm pacer Jacob Duffy moved to second in bowling rankings. Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz also saw a rise following his all-round performance in the home tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, moving to 27th in bowling and eighth among all-rounders.​

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