“Their C and D team came, we won against them” - Misbah-ul-Haq claims Pakistan achieved No. 1 ranking in ODIs by beating weak Aussie and Kiwi sides
Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq has opined that Pakistan achieved the No. 1 ranking in ODIs earlier this year by beating weak Australian and New Zealand teams. He added that it’s important to keep facts in mind while looking at rankings.
India are currently the No. 1 side in ODI cricket. Pakistan achieved the top ranking in the format in May this year when they beat the Kiwis by 102 runs in an ODI in Karachi.
During a discussion on A Sports, Misbah stated that Pakistan's rise to the top spot in ODIs seemed rather hollow.
“New Zealand and Australia came to Pakistan. They were the top-ranked teams. Their C and D team came. We won against them and our rating points increased. Then West Indies and other teams came and we won against them as well. We became happy by achieving No. 1 rank, but we should keep actual facts in mind,” the former captain was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“Australia’s C team even won one match against us. Then New Zealand’s D team came, as all their main players went for IPL. We need to realistically think where we stand as our main team is playing and their third tier players are playing, yet they are getting so close to us. Ranking doesn’t matter,” he added.
Pakistan beat Australia 2-1 in an ODI series in 2022. Earlier this year, Pakistan hammered the Kiwis 4-1 in a four-match ODI series. Following their win in the fourth ODI of the series, they were crowned the No. 1 ranked ODI team for the first time in history.
“We should celebrate the No. 1 ranking after remaining on top for six months” - Akram on Pakistan’s ranking
Along with Misbah, Pakistan legend Wasim Akram was also part of the debate. He opined that a team must celebrate being No. 1 in the ICC rankings only if they are able to hold on to the top spot for a decent period of time.
“We should celebrate the No. 1 ranking after remaining on top for six months at least,” Akram said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will face Netherlands in their first match of the 2023 World Cup at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday, October 6.