Maharaj charges to Number.1 in ODI bowling rankings following his five-for in the first ODI against Australia.
Keshav Maharaj rises to No. 1 in men’s ODI bowling rankings.
After hitting a five-for in the opening ODI match against Australia in Cairns, South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, a left-arm spinner, has overtaken Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka as the top men’s ODI bowler.
The top spot was last occupied by Maharaj in November 2023, but he regained it after moving up two spots to pass India spinner Kuldeep Yadav (third) and Theekshana (second). With career-best ODI statistics of 5 for 33, the 35-year-old helped South Africa win by 98 runs and take a 1-0 series lead.
After their respective half-centuries in the first ODI, Temba Bavuma rose five ranks to No. 23 and Aiden Markram rose four spaces to No. 21 among the South African batsmen.
West Indies captain Shai Hope moved up two spots to No. 9 on the hitters’ list during the just-completed ODI series against Pakistan. With 207 runs, Hope was the series’ leading scorer and contributed to the West Indies’ 2-1 victory. After taking 10 wickets in the series, his teammate Jayden Seales rose 15 spots to 18th in the bowling rankings.
Fast bowler Nathan Ellis rose three spots to No. 9 in the bowlers’ top ten after Australia and South Africa’s Twenty20 Internationals, which came before the ODIs. In the third Twenty20 International, Ellis took 3 for 31 to help Australia win the series 2-1. Australia’s top wicket-taker in the series, Josh Hazlewood, moved up two spots to 18th place.
After his outstanding performance in the series, Dewald Brevis, a hard-hitting batsman for South Africa, vaulted nine ranks to equal 12th on the list of T20I batters. In the first T20I, Brevis scored 125 not out off 56, and in the second, he scored 53 off 26.