Australia dethrone Pakistan to reclaim No 1 ODI rankings

PHOTO: AFP

Australia’s win in the second ODI over South Africa in Bloemfontein gave them the No. 1 place in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings.

Days after Pakistan had toppled them from the No. 1 place in the Men’s ODI Team Rankings, Australia reclaimed their spot with a win in the second ODI against South Africa. 

After winning a thriller in the first match in Bloemfontein, Australia won the second ODI by 123 runs.

Put in to bat first, Australia got a blistering start from Travis Head and David Warner. Head would score a quickfire half-century, while Warner brought up his 20th ODI ton as Australia got a solid foundation. Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s hero in the first ODI win, then continued his brilliant run with another ton. This allowed Australia to post a mammoth total of 392/8 in their 50 overs.

South Africa got off to a rapid start but simply could not sustain the momentum, despite valuable knocks from Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen. Adam Zampa was the star with the ball for Australia, ending with figures of 4/48, as South Africa were bowled out for 269. 

With this win, Australia have 121 points on the Men’s ODI Team Rankings points table. This puts them one ahead of Pakistan, who are on 120. 

Ever the dominant ODI side, Australia have continued doing well in the limited overs format. 

In the 2022 season, they lost a closely-fought series against Sri Lanka away from home. Their hiccups continued after reaching the Australian continent when they were humbled by Zimbabwe in a dead rubber after having won the series. However, the Kangaroos followed that with a 3-0 drubbing of regional rivals New Zealand at home. 

In November 2022, they whitewashed England 3-0, again at home. They then went on to beat India in India in March 2023. With the win against South Africa in Bloemfontein, they have now taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. 

The two sides are evenly matched at the top, with India closely following them. With a number of ODI contests coming up, the equations and rankings might change even further.