Rohit Sharma & Co might face a World No 1 ODI side Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023. Babar Azam & Co are chasing the top spot in PAK vs AFG ODI series. A 3-0 result for the Pakistan cricket team in Pakistan vs Afghanistan series will dethrone Australia and make Pakistan World No 1 team. With 116 points Pakistan are second behind Australia (118). India are third with 115 points.
But the PAK vs AFG, Asia Cup 2023, SA vs AUS and IND vs AUS ODI series will lead to a lot of shuffling in the Top 3 spots. Pakistan will go into Asia Cup 2023 as World No 1. They will hold on to the spot if they win the title. But if India win the title, Rohit Sharma & Co will reclaim the top spot, becoming the Top team in the world as they will be World no 1 in all three formats.
PAK vs AFG:
The three-match ODI series will serve as Asia Cup 2023 preparations for Babar Azam & Co. But a whitewash (3-0) will help them reclaim the Top spot. But if Pakistan win even 2-1, Australia will retain the top spot. A 3-0 result will take Pakistan’s points to 119. A 2-1 win in PAK vs AFG will only make it 115 and thus, Pakistan will slip to third. But if they even win 2-0 and the other match is washed out, Pakistan will take the top spot even though they will equal Australia with 118 points.
Pakistan has been a force to reckon with this year. Previously, they went on to beat New Zealand in a 5-match ODI series and surprised everyone by taking a 4-0 lead against the Kiwis. This helped the side achieve their highest rankings ever, i.e the number 1 spot. Pakistan previously became third in 2007.
But Babar Azam led side’s joy was short-lived. After a loss in the final ODI match against New Zealand, Pakistan slipped to the number 2 spot in the rankings.
Asia Cup 2023
If Pakistan thump Afghanistan 3-0, they will go into Asia Cup as the World No 1 ODI team. But Babar Azam & Co can lose the spot to India if they lose to Rohit Sharma & Co on September 2 in Kandy. However, if they go on to win the title, Babar Azam & Co remain unbeaten in Asia Cup 2023, they will remain World No 1.
SA vs AUS
Similarly, the current World No 1 Australia have a chance to retain their spot if they clean-sweep South Africa 3-0. If India win Asia Cup, India will be World No 1. But Australia can dethrone Rohit Sharma & Co if they win against South Africa.
IND vs AUS
Who gets the bragging rights before World Cup 2023 will depend on IND vs AUS series. The three-match series will be between the Top 2 teams if India are Asia Cup champs. If not, India will play as the third-ranked team. But they will have a chance to reclaim the top spot with a 3-0 clean sweep of Australia. If Australia come into the series after a loss to South Africa, India would play them as World No 1 team.
ICC ODI Team Rankings
| POS | TEAM | MATCHES | POINTS | RATING |
| 1 | Australia | 23 | 2,714 | 118 |
| 2 | Pakistan | 20 | 2,316 | 116 |
| 3 | India | 33 | 3,807 | 115 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 27 | 2,806 | 104 |
| 5 | England | 24 | 2,426 | 101 |
| 6 | South Africa | 19 | 1,910 | 101 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 27 | 2,520 | 93 |
| 8 | Afghanistan | 15 | 1,361 | 91 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 32 | 2,794 | 87 |
| 10 | West Indies | 35 | 2,312 | 66 |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 30 | 1,641 | 55 |
| 12 | Scotland | 33 | 1,662 | 50 |
| 13 | Ireland | 24 | 1,052 | 44 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 28 | 1,044 | 37 |
| 15 | Nepal | 40 | 1,396 | 35 |
| 16 | Namibia | 28 | 813 | 29 |
| 17 | United States | 31 | 808 | 26 |
| 18 | Oman | 24 | 525 | 22 |
| 19 | UAE | 41 | 617 | 15 |
Afghanistan vs Pakistan ODI series:
22 Aug – First ODI, Hambantota
24 Aug – Second ODI, Hambantota
26 Aug – Third ODI, Colombo
Editors pick
