Pakistan overtakes India in overall ODI wins after defeating West Indies
Pakistan defeated the West Indies by 111 runs in the first of the three ODIs to be played in the United Arab Emirates. The Asian nation is lying low in the ninth spot above neighbours Afghanistan, the win was a much-needed one and more importantly a significant one as they are now the second most successful One-Day International playing nation in the world. The men with green shirts overtook their arch-rivals India who have now won a match less than Pakistan.
Also read: Mickey Arthur: Outdated Pakistan hampering chances for ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 qualification
Australia tops the table with most wins in ODIs and is followed by Pakistan who has won 455 and lost 383 in the 864 matches they have played. While India has won 454 ODIs in the 899 matches they have featured in. Pakistan has third best win percentage among the nations with 54.25%, behind South Africa with 63.78% and Australia with 64.73%.
Pakistan would be very pleased to script its name in the second spot in the above-mentioned list, but the occasion was rather special as they surpassed their most talked-about rival in cricket. Matches between India and Pakistan have always been special, and both the countries share a healthy rivalry when it comes down to the game of cricket. So it would be a rather bitter pill to swallow for the Indian fans and would want to turn the tables soon.
Also read: Mickey Arthur slams Pakistani ODI cricketers for poor show in England
Previously, Pakistan’s head coach Micky Arthur warned the ODI players to raise their game or be prepared to get axed from the squad during the ODI series against England. They lost the five-match series 1-4 and their coach said that the team was in danger of missing out on an automatic spot in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. But the win against the West Indies will definitely boost their confidence after thrashing the team from the Caribbean 0-3 in the T20 series prior to this.
For the past few years, Pakistan has been playing their home matches in the United Arab Emirates for several issues and will also host three Test matches against the West Indies after the ODI series concludes. They have had a great series in England a couple of months back where they finished the series 2-2 playing brilliant cricket throughout the series and became the number one side in Tests.