Afghanistan reach sixth in ICC ODI rankings, their highest ever

Afghanistan have moved up to sixth in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, overtaking Sri Lanka to reach the best position in their history.

The rise followed a 4-0 away ODI series win over Ireland and an unbeaten run in the tri-series involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

How the climb happened

Wisden reports that Afghanistan had gone from eighth to seventh after beating Zimbabwe in the tri-series final on 23 October. The step to sixth, ahead of Sri Lanka, is their best placing in the ODI list.

Afghanistan have won 96 of their 191 ODIs, a win-loss ratio of 1.09, according to the ICC.

A rise years in the making

The ranking is the latest high point for a side that beat Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and reached a maiden T20 World Cup semi-final in 2024.

What’s next

Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 7 wickets in a T20I on 1 November. The first Test against Zimbabwe starts on Thursday, 5 November at 11:00 AM IST, with the second on Friday, 13 November.

Sri Lanka’s next match is the first Test against Pakistan on Monday, 9 November.