Theekshana Achieves Career-Best Third Position in ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings

New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana has reached a career milestone by attaining a career-best third position in the ICC Men’s ODI bowling rankings. This remarkable achievement, announced in the latest update on Wednesday, marks the first time Theekshana, 24, has broken into the top three in the rankings.

Theekshana’s Rise to Third in ODI Bowling Rankings

Theekshana’s rise is attributed to his strong performances in Sri Lanka’s recent series against New Zealand. He gained four places in the rankings after his stellar performances, including a hat-trick with figures of 4-44 in the second match in Hamilton, despite Sri Lanka losing by 113 runs.

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He followed this up with 3-35 in the third match in Auckland, which Sri Lanka won by 140 runs. With 663 rating points, Theekshana is now just six points behind top-ranked bowler Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, who holds 669 points. India’s Kuldeep Yadav is second with 665 points, while Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi follows the top three spinners with 662 points.

Other Notable Movements in ODI Bowling Rankings

New Zealand seamer Matt Henry also made an impact, returning to the top 10 of the ODI bowling rankings after winning the Player of the Series award in New Zealand’s series win over Sri Lanka. Henry took nine wickets in the series at an average of 10.33, moving to equal-ninth in the rankings alongside Australia’s Adam Zampa.

Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, moved up two spots to 15th after picking up three wickets in the last two matches. Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando earned a career-best Player of the Match award with 3-26 in the final match, taking him to 97th in the rankings.

Minimal Changes in ODI Batting Rankings

There were few changes in the ODI batting rankings, with Pakistan’s Babar Azam (795) retaining his top spot, followed by India’s trio of captain Rohit Sharma (765), Shubman Gill (763), and Virat Kohli (746).

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra moved up 11 places to 39th after scoring 79 in the second match. Sri Lanka’s Janith Liyanage also climbed 11 places to 57th after his half-century in the final match. Ravindra’s teammate Mark Chapman entered the top 100 with scores of 62 and 81, while Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka’s slump to two ducks saw him drop five places to 18th.