Shakib Al Hasan Dethrones Rashid Khan To Claim Top All-Rounder's Ranking Ahead Of World Cup
Shakib Al Hasan accumulated 140 runs in three matches and claimed two wickets with his orthodox spin in the recently concluded tri-series in Ireland.
Highlights
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Shakib Al Hasan rode on gritty performance during tri-series in Ireland
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He scored 140 runs in three matches and claimed two wickets
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Rashid has now slipped to the second spot in ICC ODI rankings
Shakib Al Hasan rode on gritty batting and consistent bowling during the One-Day International tri-series in Ireland to leapfrog Rashid Khan and claim the top spot in ICC ODI rankings for all-rounders. The phenomenal rise comes as a boost for Bangladesh, who won the tri-series after defeating the Windies in final, ahead of the ICC World Cup 2019 that begins on May 30 in England and Wales. The 32-year-old left-handed batsman accumulated 140 runs in three matches and claimed two wickets with his orthodox spin.
Shakib now has 359 points, 20 clear of Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, the previous holder of the top ranking, who has now slipped to the second spot. Rashid's Afghanistan team-mate Mohammad Nabi rounds out the top three, with 319 points.
Pakistan are the only other team to have two players in the top ten, with Imad Wasim at number 4 and Mohammad Hafeez claiming the seventh spot. They are separated by New Zealand's Mitchell Santner (number 5) and England's Chris Woakes, who is up four places to the sixth place.
Jason Holder, the West Indies skipper, is their top-ranked all-rounder, at number eight. England's Ben Stokes, who is expected to be their MVP at the World Cup, missed out on the top ten by one spot, finishing eight points behind Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews.
Bangladesh will carry plenty of experience into the tournament in the form of captain Mashrafe, vice-captain Shakib, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim.
The solid performances in recent years, combined with the presence of the veterans, has created expectations of success for Bangladesh that were unheard of in the team's five previous World Cups dating back to 1999.
Mashrafe says a semi-final place is their goal, but he admits it will be tough to get that far given the round-robin nature of the first stage of the10-team tournament.
"At the moment I think going to the semi-finals will be big challenge, but nothing is impossible," Mashrafe said before leaving Dhaka for England.
(With inputs from agencies)
Bangladesh Cricket Team
Shakib Al Hasan