On Sunday, May 7, Australia once again ascended to the top spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings, surpassing Pakistan and claiming the coveted title of the world’s number-one team in the 50-over format. With a rating of 113 points, the five-time World Cup champions edged ahead of the 1992 World Cup winners by a mere one point. Interestingly, this momentous achievement for Australia coincided with New Zealand’s victory over Pakistan by 47 runs in the final match of their five-match ODI series, preventing a 0-5 whitewash.
Just a 48-hour reign for Pakistan
Notably, Pakistan had only recently attained the position of the top-ranked ODI team after a convincing 102-run triumph over New Zealand in the fourth match of their series on May 5. However, their reign at the summit was short-lived, lasting only for approximately two days before Australia claimed the top spot.
Pakistan has now slid down to the third position in the ICC ODI rankings with a rating of 112 points, trailing behind India, who share the same rating points as top-ranked Australia. However, the Aussies have played fewer matches to achieve their rating, consequently securing their lead over India.
Winning against weaker opponents
It’s worth noting that Pakistan has played fewer games (30) than both India (47) and Australia (35). Additionally, they have faced weaker opposition recently, with the New Zealand team they defeated 4-1 fielding a depleted side due to several frontline players participating in the IPL. Moreover, the Men in Green played an ODI series against the Netherlands last year, a team not known for their prowess in the limited-overs format.
The rest of the top 10 in the ICC ODI rankings include England, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Afghanistan, respectively, in descending order from fourth to tenth place.
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