Keshav Maharaj Reclaims No. 1 Spot in ICC Men's ODI Bowling Rankings

Keshav Maharaj Reclaims No. 1 Spot in ICC Men's ODI Bowling Rankings

South Africa's veteran left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has returned to the top of the ICC Men's ODI Bowling Rankings, following his match-winning five-wicket haul against Australia in the first ODI in Cairns. Maharaj’s career-best figures of 5 for 33 helped South Africa secure a commanding 98-run victory and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The performance saw Maharaj jump two places to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, displacing Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka, who now drops to second. India’s Kuldeep Yadav rounds out the top three.

This marks the first time since November 2023 that the 35-year-old Maharaj has held the top spot in the ODI bowling rankings, underlining his continued dominance in white-ball cricket.

South African Batters on the Rise

In addition to Maharaj’s success, Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma also made gains in the ODI batting rankings after scoring half-centuries in the first ODI. Markram moved up four places to No. 21, while Bavuma climbed five spots to No. 23.

Other Ranking Movements:

ODI Rankings:

  • Shai Hope, captain of the West Indies, rose to No. 9 in the ODI batting rankings following his excellent performance in the recently concluded series against Pakistan. Hope was the leading run-scorer with 207 runs, steering West Indies to a 2-1 series win.

  • Jayden Seales also made a big leap in the bowling charts, jumping 15 spots to No. 18 after taking 10 wickets in the same series.

T20I Rankings:

  • Australia pacer Nathan Ellis entered the top ten among T20I bowlers, climbing three places to No. 9 after his 3 for 31 in the third T20I against South Africa, which sealed the series 2-1 for Australia.

  • Fellow quick Josh Hazlewood, Australia's top wicket-taker in the T20I series, rose two positions to 18th.

  • South Africa’s power-hitter Dewald Brevis made a major impact on the T20I batters’ list, soaring nine places to a joint 12th position. Brevis was in sublime form, smashing 125 off 56 balls* in the first T20I and following it with 53 off 26 in the second.

The latest ICC rankings update reflects a strong showing from South African players in both white-ball formats, while notable gains from West Indies and Australian stars hint at an exciting lead-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle.