.jpg "Former Pakistan Cricketer Slams ICC; Questions Babar Azam And Shubman Gill At The Top Of ODI Rankings")
Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma (x)
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali recently expressed dissatisfaction with the ICC rankings that were released a few days ago. He expressed his scepticism about the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings after Babar Azam retained the top spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings for Batters.
Despite not playing an ODI since November 2023, Babar remains at the No. 1 position with 824 rating points. Followed by Indian stars Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali cheekily indicated that the ICC might want Babar Azam to remain stagnant and prevent him from improving further.
He raised doubts about the legitimacy of the rankings and suggested that the ICC’s decision to keep Babar at the top might be a strategy to hinder his performance.
“When I saw the ICC ranking (ODI batters), Babar Azam was at the top, number two was Rohit Sharma, number three was Shubman Gill, and then there was Virat Kohli at number four. I did not find it necessary to read the remaining names because I couldn’t see Travis Head and Rachin Ravindra. I think the ICC wants that Babar doesn’t perform. He would be happy with being the number one-ranked batter in ODIs. Who gives these rankings? On what basis are Babar Azam and Shubman Gill there,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
He further also questioned Shubman Gill’s ranking along with Babar and Virat Kohli as they have not been performing at their peak recently, unlike Rohit Sharma, who has consistently delivered strong performances.
He also added that he was expecting Travis Head and Rachin Ravindra’s names in the ranking as both of them have delivered exceptional performance for their respective teams.
Pakistan is gearing up to host Bangladesh in an upcoming two-game test series. The first match is set to kick off on August 21, 2024, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Following this, the next match is scheduled to take place at the Karachi National Stadium on August 30. These highly anticipated Test matches hold significant weight in the context of the World Test Championship standings.
