Afghanistan Surge Past England in ICC ODI Rankings After Tri-Series Triumph

Afghanistan have made a statement in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings. Their tri-series triumph in the UAE lifted them from eighth to seventh and pushed England down to eighth. It was a rankings shake-up built on a commanding final in Sharjah and a rough week for England in Rawalpindi.

Afghanistan Complete the Job in Sharjah

The tri-series final was never really in doubt once Afghanistan’s bowlers got going. They bowled Zimbabwe out for just 169 at Sharjah.

Rashid Khan led the attack with three wickets. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Nabi and Bilal Sami each added two, keeping Zimbabwe under constant pressure.

Zadran Anchors the Chase

Ibrahim Zadran then took charge with an unbeaten 70 off 96 balls, including four fours and a six. He added 68 for the opening stand with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who made 36.

Zadran then put on 82 for the third wicket with captain Rahmat Shah, who scored 43. Afghanistan reached the 170-run target in the 35th over to seal the series.

Zadran was named player of the match. Rashid took the player of the series award for his 11 wickets across the tournament.

How the Rankings Shifted

Afghanistan gained two rating points and moved up one place to seventh. England lost two points after back-to-back defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, and fell from sixth to eighth.

Sri Lanka were the other big beneficiaries of England’s slump and moved up to sixth. Zimbabwe gained two points for reaching the final but stayed 11th. Bangladesh did not win a game in the tri-series and lost two points, yet held on to ninth.

Key Movements at a Glance

What Afghanistan’s Rise Means for the Top Ten

This is a notable shift in the top half of the ODI table. Afghanistan now sit on 2926 points with a rating of 94 from 31 matches. That is just one rating point behind Sri Lanka in sixth.

England are on 93 rating points from 36 matches, and now sit below both sides. The gap between Afghanistan in seventh and West Indies in tenth is 15 rating points, with Bangladesh ninth on 81 and West Indies on 79.

Who Leads the Pack?

At the top, India remain clear leaders on a rating of 115. New Zealand are second on 109 and South Africa third on 104. The tight cluster from fourth to eighth, separated by only ten rating points, suggests more movement is likely.

Updated ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings (Top 10)

The Bigger Picture

The rankings reflect a tournament in which Afghanistan’s collective performance was decisive. Rashid’s 11-wicket haul gave them control with the ball, and Zadran’s match-winning knock in the final gave them the finish.

For England, the picture is harder. Two defeats in Rawalpindi cost them two places, and they now trail sides they would normally expect to stay ahead of. With only one rating point separating Afghanistan from Sri Lanka, the next series could change the order again.

Afghanistan have shown they can win a tournament and move up the table with it. The next question is whether they can keep climbing.