Sri Lanka National Cricket Team spinner Maheesh Theekshana has made a huge leap forward in the ICC rankings for bowlers in ODIs. This comes after his sensational performances with the ball in the series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
Maheesh Theekshana breaks into the top three in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings for the first time. The spinner was at his best with the ball against the New Zealand National Cricket Team. He took 7 wickets in two games and brought his team to the top.
Maheesh Theekshana soared to 663 rating points, his career-high in ODI cricket
Theekshana picked four wickets including a hat-trick in his first ODI. The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team spinner returned with figures of 4/44 in the first ODI. In the second game, he picked three wickets but unfortunately couldn’t help his team win as they lost the series 2-1.
Maheesh Theekshana has climbed to 663 rating points and now holds a career high in the latest ICC rankings. The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team spinner is now six points behind leader Rashid Khan (669) and two behind India’s Kuldeep Yadav (665), the current top two duo in the world.
Maheesh Theekshana also became the 26th-ranked all-rounder in ODIs, moving up four places to 26th
Maheesh Theekshana also moved up four spots in the All-Around Ranking after his contributions with the bat. The spinner is tied for 26th place, up four places. Mohammad Nabi (300) ahead of Sikandar Raza (290) of Zimbabwe.
Apart from Maheesh Theekshana, New Zealand National Cricket Team pacer Matt Herny also made gains in the ICC Rankings for bowlers in ODIs. The fast bowler had nine wickets at an average of 10.33. He moved up three places with 635 rating points and took the ninth place.
Mitchell Santner, the captain of the New Zealand National Cricket Team, has also improved. He moved up two places and became 15th. This is after he came into the limelight with his decent performances. Asita Fernando rose 34 places to rank 97, up from 7 to 26.
Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli remain at the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batting.
Not much has changed in terms of ICC batting rankings for ODIs. Pakistan’s Babar Azam remains at the top with 795 rating points followed by Indian National Cricket Team captain Rohit Sharma with 765 points. Shubman Gill (763) and Virat Kohli (746) are third and fourth respectively. All of them have an opportunity to improve their efforts as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 follows the ODI series for Pakistan and India.
Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka (622) scored just four runs, including two ducks, in New Zealand to drop to 18th in the five-place Rankings. Apart from that, there has been no change in the ICC ODI rankings.
Also read: Smriti Mandhana became India’s first and fastest cricketer to achieve the historic milestones