Sport
Pakistan take top two spots on latest ICC ODI rankings
Pakistan now boast the two highest-rated ODI batters in the world for the first time after in-form opener Imam-ul-Haq went past India veteran Virat Kohli, to join team-mate Babar Azam at the top of the ICC MRF Tyres Men’s One Day Batter rankings.
Imam scored three half-centuries during Pakistan’s recent ODI series at home against West Indies. His form was duly rewarded as he won the Player of the Series award and made a move on the latest rankings that were released on Wednesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) reported.
The 26-year-old jumped a massive 20 rating points to move in front of Kohli and now has a career best mark of 815 rating points.
This is still well behind Babar’s mark of 892, with the Pakistan captain maintaining his enormous lead at the head of the ODI batter rankings following his 17th ODI century in the opening match against West Indies.
There was some other minor moves inside the top 10, with Aaron Finch rising a spot to ninth as Australia team-mate David Warner fell to 10th – while England’s Jonny Bairstow dropped two places to eighth and South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen jumped a spot to seventh.
There was more good news for Pakistan on the latest bowler rankings, as tall pacer Shaheen Afridi jumped two places to fourth following his good series with the ball against West Indies.
New Zealand’s Trent Boult remains on top of the bowler rankings, but Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood and Kiwi team-mate Matt Henry are closing in after they jumped one spot to second and third respectively.
England’s Chris Woakes was the man to make way out of the top five as he fell four spots to equal sixth, tied with Mujeeb Ur Rahman after the Afghan spinner rose two places.
The biggest mover on the all-rounder rankings is Oman’s Zeeshan Maqsood, with the leftie jumping 13 places to 10th following a string of impressive performances in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 action.
The groups and match-ups for the FIFA World Cup 2026, set to be the biggest sporting event in history, were unveiled on Friday during a high-profile Final Draw ceremony held in the United States capital, Washington DC.
In front of nearly 2,000 international guests and millions of viewers worldwide, FIFA revealed the 12 groups of four teams for the expanded 23rd edition of the tournament. The draw marks a major milestone as excitement continues to build across the three host nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and the 16 host cities preparing for the event.
FIFA announced that the full schedule, including match venues and kick-off times for the tournament’s 104 games, will be released during a live global broadcast on Saturday, 6 December.
With nearly two million tickets already sold, FIFA says anticipation for the 2026 World Cup is rapidly rising.
There are 48 teams in next year’s World Cup — an expansion from the 32 teams of previous tournaments.
In the 25th match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Abu Muslim Farah secured a dominant 6-0 victory over Jawanan Perozi.
On Friday, in the 26th match, Istiqlal Kabul defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 3-1.
Tomorrow, in the 27th match, Arman FC will take on Sorkh Poshan Khafi at 10:00 AM, followed by the 28th match, where Sarafan Herat will face Ettifaq Khanzadah at 1:30 PM.
All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, giving football fans across the country the chance to experience the excitement and intensity of the Afghanistan Champions League throughout the season.
In the 23rd match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Arman FC put on a dominant and electrifying display, overpowering Aino Mina 6–0.
In Thursday’s 24th fixture, Khurasan Faryab took on Ettifaq Khanzadah and secured a solid 2–0 victory.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s games, Jawanan Perozi will face Abu Muslim Farah at 10:00 a.m. in the 25th match, while Istiqlal Kabul meets Sarsabz Yashlar at 1:30 p.m. in the 26th encounter.
All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, giving fans across the country the opportunity to follow the excitement and energy of the Afghanistan Champions League throughout the season.
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