NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali recently took a swipe at the International Cricket Council (ICC) after Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam retained his top spot in the ODI rankings.
India’s rising star Shubman Gill, who has recently struggled for runs but still occupies the third spot in the rankings, also came under fire from Basit.
Basit expressed his surprise and scepticism, noting that Babar has not played an ODI since November 2023, yet continues to hold the number one position.
The rankings, which place Babar ahead of Indian cricket stars Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, sparked Basit’s criticism.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit questioned the ICC’s ranking system and suggested that it might be a tactic to pressure Babar.
“When I saw the ICC ranking (for ODI batters), Babar Azam was at the top, number two was Rohit Sharma, number three was Shubman Gill, and then there was Virat Kohli at number four. I did not find it necessary to read the remaining names because I couldn’t see Travis Head and Rachin Ravindra. I think the ICC wants that Babar doesn’t perform. He would be happy with being the number one-ranked batter in ODIs. Who gives these rankings? On what basis are Babar Azam and Shubman Gill there?” Basit said.

Basit pointed out that the batters, who were standout performers in the World Cup, are conspicuously absent from the top ranks.
Basit emphasized that during the 2023 World Cup, players like Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand, Quinton de Kock of South Africa, and Australia’s Travis Head made significant contributions, each scoring multiple centuries.
Even Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman managed to notch up a century each.
“Babar’s last ODI was at the last year’s World Cup. We saw the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Quinton de Kock, Travis Head and Virat Kohli at the World Cup. They scored three-four hundreds in the tournament. For Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman scored a century each. What kind of ranking do they give?” he remarked.