Cricket: Pakistan skipper tops ODI ranking

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam became the top-ranked one-day batsman, overtaking Indian skipper Virat Kohli, the International Cricket Council announced on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old, who was five points behind Kohli, dethroned his rival after scoring 94 runs in the third and decisive ODI against South Africa last week. Kohli was the top ODI player since October 2017.

Azam ranks sixth in Test and third in the T20 ranking, becoming the second player after Kohli to be featured on the top six in all three formats.

He is the fourth Pakistani batsman after Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, and Mohammad Yousuf to reach the top spot in the ODI batting table.

"I feel privileged and honored to have joined the company of stalwarts like Abbas, Miandad, and Yousuf, who will always be shining stars in Pakistani cricket, " Azam said in a series of tweets. “I am looking forward to this challenge and remain confident I will be able to accomplish this target with the support of my teammates and coaching staff."

Under his captaincy, Pakistan beat South Africa 2-1 in a three-match ODI series to become the only Asian team to beat Proteas in two ODI series.