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Shubman Gill vs Babar Azam: Top batters vie for No 1 ranking in World Cup 2023

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Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s lead as the top ODI batter continues to diminish as India’s Shubman Gill makes further inroads on the batter on the latest ICC rankings update.

Gill has been in superb touch for India during the first two matches of their ODI series against Australia, with the in-form opener having amassed a total of 178 runs for the series during the opening two contests.

The right-hander hit a quickfire 74 during the opening match of the series in Mohali and backed that up by scoring the sixth ODI century of his career in Indore to reach a new career-high rating on the updated list for ODI batters.

Gill now has a total of 847 rating points and is just 10 rating points behind Babar, ahead of the start of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup on October 5.

With Pakistan not scheduled to play an official ODI match until their World Cup opener and Gill set to sit out India’s final clash of their series against Australia, it means Babar will enter this year’s tournament with the top ranking.

The race between Babar and Gill at the top of the batter rankings will continue to be closely fought throughout the six weeks of the World Cup, with the pair holding a massive lead over their nearest challengers.

South Africa hard-hitter Rassie van der Dussen (743 rating points) is third on the batter rankings and more than 100 points adrift of the leading duo, while Ireland young gun Harry Tector rises to fourth and a new career-high rating despite the fact much of his side’s ODI series against England was affected by rain.

India duo Shreyas Iyer (up eight places to 30th) and KL Rahul (up six spots to 33rd) also enjoy a rise up the rankings this week following impressive performances against Australia, while teammate Mohammed Siraj maintains a narrow lead at the top of the list for ODI bowlers.

Siraj rose to the top on the back of his six-wicket haul during the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka earlier this month and holds an 11-point lead over Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood at the top of the rankings despite the fact he hasn’t featured in the ODI series against the Aussies.

Just 55 rating points separate the top 10 players on the ODI bowler rankings, with experienced Australia spinner Adam Zampa improving one place to seventh on the back of his three wickets from the opening two matches against India.

India pacer Mohammed Shami (up nine spots to equal 25th) and Australia counterpart Sean Abbott (up 14 places to equal 45th) also make some ground on this list on the latest rankings update, while Bangladesh quick Mustafizur Rahman improves five spots to 23rd after five wickets in his side’s ODI series against New Zealand.

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Sajid Khan smashes Saqlain Mushtaq’s 24-year-old Test record in Pakistan vs England.

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In the opening Test match between Pakistan and England at the Multan Cricket Stadium, off-spinner Sajid Khan created history by taking seven wickets, shattering the 24-year-old record set by the late, great Saqlain Mushtaq.

Day three of the second Test saw England eliminated for 291 after seven wickets from Sajid Khan, trailing Pakistan’s first innings by 366 runs.

During the morning session, the 31-year-old off-spinner claimed three of the four wickets that fell, making it his second five-wicket haul of the day. England had resumed at 239-6 in Multan.

Remaining wicket-taker for Pakistan, with statistics of 3-101, was left-arm spinner Noman Ali.

Sajid Khan ended up being the first Pakistani off-spinner to take five or more wickets at home since Saqlain Mushtaq did it in 2000 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, taking seven wickets for 111 runs in 26.2 overs.

The scoreboard read 239-6 when England had already resumed their batting. At the crease were Jamie Smith (12) and Brydon Carse (2).

But in the morning, Sajid Khan replaced Carse after they could only add nine more runs. After reaching 21, Smith was caught by Noman, and the off-spinner quickly got rid of Matthew Potts (6).

Prior to Sajid finishing the batting, Jack Leach amassed a vital 25-run unbeaten innings. He and Shoaib Bashir (9) added 29 runs for the final wicket.

Noman grabbed three wickets at a cost of 101 runs, while Sajid took figures of 7-111.

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Second Test between Pakistan and England: Pakistan fights to 366/10 on day two

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Pakistan chose to bat in the second Test match between England and Pakistan in Multan, and by the second session on Day 2, they had amassed 358/9.

(123.3 ov) 366/10

Despite having a hip injury, Aamer Jamal made a significant contribution to the score alongside Noman Ali before being dismissed for 37 runs by Brydon Carse.

As Pakistan tries to extend their first innings score, Noman Ali, who is 29, is still undefeated. With three wickets for forty-three runs, Carse has been very effective. Spinner Shoaib Bashir has also taken a wicket.

The early England wicket burst and the solid 49-run stand between Jamal and Noman have kept the match evenly matched.

England’s goal in opening their batting innings will aim to remove the final Pakistani wicket as soon as possible.

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The PCB has issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar Zaman about a post about Babar Azam.

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The newly constituted selection committee on Sunday excluded Babar, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Sarfaraz Ahmed off the roster for the ongoing second and forthcoming third Test against England.

Subsequent to the announcement, Fakhar Zaman utilized his official X (previously Twitter) account to convey his disappointment. He referenced the manner in which India handled Virat Kohli throughout his challenging period from 2020 to 2023.

“It is troubling to receive proposals regarding the dismissal of Babar Azam.” Fakhar stated that India did not bench Virat Kohli during his challenging period from 2020 to 2023, when he recorded averages of 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively.

The left-handed batsman commended Babar, deeming him the greatest Pakistani batsman in history, while emphasizing the necessity of strategic decisions instead of resorting to panic.

“Sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the finest Pakistan has ever produced, may convey a profoundly negative message to the team.” There remains an opportunity to avert unnecessary alarm; our emphasis should be on protecting our pivotal actors rather than compromising them,” he stated.

Subsequently, the next day, the PCB issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar for violating the Code of Conduct. The cricket board has requested the dynamic batsman to reply to the notification by October 21.

The second Test between Pakistan and England is now in progress in Multan, while the third and final match of the series is scheduled to take place in Rawalpindi starting October 15.

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