SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 09: Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan celebrates dismissing Finn Allen of New Zealand during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Semi Final match between New Zealand and Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground on November 09, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Pakistan has dethroned Australia to claim the No.1 place in the ODI team rankings.
The dethroning comes after Pakistan delivered an emphatic 102-run victory against New Zealand on May 6, in which captain Babar Azam scored his 18th ODI century (107 off 117 balls).
Azam's century helped the nation claim 6/334 off 50 overs before Pakistan's bowlers ran through the New Zealand batting line-up, dismissing the Kiwis for 232- their lowest total of the series.
Surprisingly, Pakistan, Australia and India - the top three ODI nations - are within one rating point of each other.
However, Pakistan claims first place due to a rating of 113.48, whilst Australia has a rating of 113.28 and India's 112.63.
"Credit goes to the entire team and support staff for becoming the No.1-ranked ODI team," Babar was quoted by cricket.com.au.
"We felt it was a 300-plus wicket, and if you build a partnership, you can get to that total."
"We wanted to give a proper run to every player, and since there are big events coming up, we are happy to find 15-16 players."
The next ODI World Cup will occur in India in October-November later this year.