In less than 48 hours, Pakistan lost the top place in the ICC ODI Rankings. After defeating New Zealand in the fourth ODI of the five-match series, they were ranked as the top ODI team. To keep their top status, though, the Men in Green also needed to triumph in the fifth One-Day of the series. That didn't happen since they failed to reach their 300-run goal and fell short, losing by 47 runs.
Batting first, New Zealand had amassed 299 runs thanks to half-centuries from captain Tom Latham (59) and Will Young (87). As a result, Pakistan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. But before the hosts were bowled out for 252 runs, the middle and lower orders, commanded by Agha Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed, enabled to salvage their innings. With a 3/34 in 10 overs, Henry Shipley was New Zealand's top bowler.
With this defeat, Pakistan dropped to third place with 112 points and lost one rating point. In the most recent rating update, Australia has recaptured first place, while India is in second. New Zealand is in fifth place with 108 points after losing 4-1 against Pakistan, while England is in fourth with 111 rating points.
Although there is just a five-point margin between the top five clubs and the bottom five, there is a big distance between them. With 101 points, South Africa is in sixth position, seven points behind New Zealand. To round off the top 10 list of the most recent ODI rankings, Afghanistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and West Indies are included in that order. Later this month, Ireland will play Bangladesh in three one-day internationals, providing an opportunity for both teams to gain rating points.
