ICC Rankings: NZ allrounder Bracewell moves into top 5, Gill remains top ODI batter

Dubai(The Uttam Hindu): New Zealand's stand-in captain, Michael Bracewell, has climbed into the top five of the ICC Men's All-Rounder Rankings following a stellar performance in the third ODI against Pakistan. The 34-year-old, who played a key role in New Zealand’s 3-0 series sweep over Pakistan, scored 85 runs, including a dynamic half-century in the final match. Bracewell's efforts earned him a two-spot rise, placing him fifth in the all-rounder rankings with 246 rating points. He now sits as the highest-ranked Kiwi all-rounder, ahead of Mitchell Santner, who is in sixth.

In the decisive ODI, Bracewell contributed a quick-fire 59 off 40 balls, featuring a boundary and a maximum, helping New Zealand post 264/8 in 42 overs. On the bowling front, Bracewell claimed the wicket of Faheem Ashraf, finishing with impressive figures of 1-39 from eight overs. His all-round display helped New Zealand secure a 43-run win and a clean sweep in the series. Bracewell's strong performance also saw him rise 12 places in the ODI batter rankings, landing at 89th, while maintaining his 18th position in the bowlers' rankings.

The top of the ICC ODI batting rankings remained unchanged, with India's Shubman Gill holding on to his No. 1 position, followed by Pakistan's Babar Azam and India’s Rohit Sharma at second and third, respectively. Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, who had a solid series against New Zealand, moved up two spots to No. 21 in the batting rankings. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Ben Sears, who was named Player of the Series after taking five wickets in the final ODI, saw a major jump in the bowling rankings. Sears climbed 64 places to break into the top 100 after claiming a total of 10 wickets in the series.