Following their failure to complete a clean sweep against New Zealand in the final ODI match played in Karachi on May 7th, the brief reign of Pakistan as the top team in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings came to an end only two days after they had claimed it for the first time in history.
After defeating New Zealand by a sizable margin in the 4th ODI rankings, team Pakistan earned the coveted No. 1 ranking on May 5. However, New Zealand’s consolation victory in the final game ended their hopes of retaining the top spot, causing them to fall from the top.
As of May 7th, Australia leads the rankings, followed closely by India at No. 2, and Pakistan now finds itself at No. 3. Despite securing a commanding 4-1 victory in the 5-match series, Pakistan’s team captain, Babar, acknowledged that they fell short of their desired outcome.
In the final match, New Zealand won the toss and set a challenging target of 299 runs in 49.3 overs, with opening batsman Will Young scoring 91 runs from 87 balls. Although Pakistan’s batting lineup struggled, Agha Salman (57) and Iftikhar Ahmed (94 off 72 balls) fought bravely to keep their hopes alive, but their chase ultimately fell short in the closing stages, giving New Zealand their first victory in the ODI series.
