Afghanistan have achieved a historic milestone by rising to sixth place in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, overtaking Sri Lanka to secure their highest-ever position in the format.Since their ODI debut in 2009, Afghanistan have made significant progress in international cricket, establishing themselves as a competitive side across formats, according to the ICC website. Their achievements include notable victories over Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, as well as a maiden semi-final appearance at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.Afghanistan have won 96 of their 191 ODI matches, maintaining an impressive win-loss ratio of 1.09, which reflects their steady advancement in the 50-over format. Having already overtaken established cricket teams such as Bangladesh, England and the West Indies, Afghanistan’s rise has now seen them enter the top six of the ODI rankings for the first time by surpassing Sri Lanka.This progress has been driven by a series of strong performances, including a 4-0 away series victory over Ireland and an unbeaten campaign in the recently concluded tri-series featuring Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.In the shortest format, Afghanistan sustained their winning momentum by completing a 3-0 whitewash against Zimbabwe in a T20I series. The final match took place in Sharjah on Sunday, where spinner Noor Ahmad was the standout bowler, dismantling Zimbabwe’s middle and lower order as the hosts were bowled out for 79 runs in less than 15 overs, securing a seven-wicket victory.Afghanistan will now focus on the longer format with a two-match Test series against Zimbabwe scheduled next, aiming to extend their impressive run across international cricket.
Afghanistan reach sixth in ICC men’s ODI rankings, surpass Sri Lanka
