Babar ends Kohli's 1258-day supremacy to become number one ODI batsman
AFP
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4 Mar 25
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has become the number one batsman in (ODI) cricket as per the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s player rankings.
Babar has now replaced Indian captain Virat Kohli at the top of the table with 865 points. Kohli is at the second position with 857 points, followed by Rohit Sharma with 825 points in third place. Rounding off the top five are New Zealand’s Ross Taylor with 801 points and Aaron Finch with 791 points.
"This is another milestone in my career, which will now require even more hard work and absolute consistency with the bat in order for me to hold on to the ranking for an extended period of time," Azam said.
"I feel privileged and honoured to have joined the company of stalwarts like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf, who will always be the shining stars of Pakistan cricket. I have also previously topped the T20I rankings, but the ultimate ambition and goal is to lead the Test rankings, which are the real testament and reward to a batsman's calibre, reputation and skills."
Babar has followed in the footsteps of compatriots Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003) by breaking Kohli's 1,258-day supremacy. Babar has a best of fifth place in Tests and is currently ranked sixth, though he is third in T20Is but has previously been number five.
