Pakistan moved up to fourth place in the latest ICC ODI Team Rankings after defeating Sri Lanka by six runs in a thrilling opening match of the three-match series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The victory propelled Pakistan above Sri Lanka, who dropped to fifth, with Pakistan reaching 102 ratings in the latest update.
Sri Lanka also sit on 102 rating points but remain below Pakistan due to fewer points.
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Meanwhile, India continue to lead the rankings with 122 ratings, followed by New Zealand on second with 111 and Australia on third with 109.
South Africa hold sixth place with 98 ratings, Afghanistan are seventh with 95, and England sit eighth with 86.
READ: Pakistan cricketers rise in latest ICC ODI rankings
West Indies and Bangladesh complete the top ten, with 79 and 76 ratings respectively.
In the match, the visitors fell just short while chasing a target of 300.
After being put into bat first, Pakistan put up a strong total of 299 for 5, led by an unbeaten century from Salman Ali Agha, who scored a brilliant 105 off 87 balls.
READ: Pakistan secures thrilling win over Sri Lanka in ODI series opener
Hussain Talat played a steady hand with 62 off 63, while Mohammad Nawaz contributed a quick 36 runs to boost the total.
Sri Lanka fought hard in their reply but could only reach 293 for 9 by the end of their innings.
Wanindu Hasaranga top-scored with 59 off 52 deliveries, while Sadeera Samarawickrama made 39 runs.
Pakistan’s bowling attack once again delivered under pressure.
READ: Tri-Nation T20I Series: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe Squads, Schedule & Where to Watch
Haris Rauf led the way with 4 wickets for 61 runs, while Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah picked up two wickets each.
Mohammad Nawaz added one to his tally, rounding off a solid team performance.
With this win, Pakistan continue to stay among the top seven teams across all formats, currently sitting seventh in both Tests and T20Is.
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The home side’s rise in the rankings reflects their consistent form since the series win against South Africa earlier this month, where they triumphed 2-1 in both the ODI and T20I series.
The second ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take place at the same venue on Thursday.
