ODI rankings: Suspended Ajmal retains top spot in bowling

Muhammad Hafeez also continues to be best ODI all-rounder

KARACHI: Despite being suspended for a suspect bowling action, Saeed Ajmal continues to reign supreme in the ODI bowling rankings.

Ajmal is ranked number one in the new International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings that were updated yesterday with 770 points, 14 ahead of fellow spinner Sunil Narine in second. Ajmal’s average of 22.18 is the lowest of any other bowler in the top 10.

South African paceman Dale Steyn is on third, while Englishman James Anderson and Australian Mitchel Johnson make up the top five. Johnson’s six wickets in two matches against Pakistan, giving away only 64 runs in the process, helped him jump two places from seventh.

Muhammad Hafeez, now in seventh, is the other Pakistani bowler in the top 10. Strong performances by Muhammad Irfan and Shahid Afridi with the ball also helped them climb five and six places respectively, taking them to 27^th and 35^th.

Hafeez also managed to keep his spot at the top of the all-rounders’ rankings, ahead of Angelo Mathews, despite being ruled out of the Australia series through injury.

In keeping with Pakistan’s recent batting performances, no batsman made it into the top 10, with Misbahul Haq’s being the highest on 13^th. However, the skipper has fallen down a spot due to his mixed performances of late.

Australia move top

Australia's stand-in captain George Bailey said that regaining the number one spot in the ICC rankings will count for nothing when the World Cup kicks off on home soil in February.

Australia claimed a nail-biting one-run victory against Pakistan to complete the whitewash and take top spot. “You're trying to win every game you play,” he said. "It's lovely to be ranked number one in the world but come the World Cup, I think, it will have zero bearing. It means nothing.”

However, Bailey, filling in for captain Michael Clark, felt the manner in which the match was won will help the team. “To see our energy, our fight and our intent to get through difficult periods and to get through the pressure that Pakistan were putting on and to throw it back at them; that was more pleasing," said Bailey. “That's the sort of stuff that will happen in the World Cup.”

Pakistan, meanwhile, are ranked sixth but are joint on points with New Zealand in seventh, who they play before the World Cup and just two points ahead of West Indies in eighth. West Indies

are currently playing third-placed India, who will now be unable to leapfrog Australia due to the cancellation of their third ODI.