Misbah's startling remarks on Pakistan's ODI rankings leaves fans fuming
Shares
Former cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq has pointed out that Pakistan's rise to the top spot in ODIs earlier this year was achieved by defeating weakened Australian and New Zealand teams.
The victory against Australia came in a 2-1 ODI series in 2022, and in April, Pakistan dominated a five-match ODI series against New Zealand with a 4-0 lead, leading to their ascent to the number one position in the ODI team rankings.
This marked the first time since the ICC officially recognized rankings in January 2005. Misbah remarked on a local sports channel, "New Zealand and Australia visited Pakistan, but their top-ranked teams were absent. Instead, their C and D teams competed against us, and we managed to secure victories against them, thus boosting our rating points.
Subsequently, we faced West Indies and other teams, winning against them as well. While achieving the No. 1 ranking brought us joy, it's essential to consider the actual circumstances."
He went on to say, "Australia's C team even managed to win a match against us, and New Zealand's D team played as most of their main players were participating in the IPL. We must realistically assess our position because our primary squad was playing against their third-tier players, yet they came close to us. Ultimately, rankings don't hold significant importance."
