Mehidy Hasan Miraz rises up to No.2 in ODI bowler rankings
Mustafizur Rahman also breaks into the top ten, while Mushfiqur Rahim climbs to No.14 among batters
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-May-2021
Mehidy Hasan Miraz has become only the third bowler from Bangladesh to be ranked among the top two • AFP/Getty Images
Bangladesh offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz has risen to second place in the ICC's rankings for bowlers in ODIs, becoming only the third bowler from his country to be ranked in the top two in the format.
Before Miraz, only allrounder Shakib Al Hasan and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak have been placed inside the top two from Bangladesh, with Hasan achieving the No. 1 rank in 2009 and Razzak climbing up to No. 2 the following year.
Left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman also had a steep rise, breaking into the top ten after going up eight spots to be ranked No.9. Rahman played a crucial hand in both ODIs against Sri Lanka, taking 3 for 34 in a 33-run victory in the first match and following up with 3 for 16 in the second, in a 103-run triumph via the DLS method. The wins have given Bangladesh an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Among the batters, Mushfiqur Rahim's back-to-back Player of the Match performances with scores of 84 and 125 have seen him rise four places to be 14th. Mahmudullah, too, advanced by two steps to sit at No. 38 following innings of 54 and 41.
Despite the series loss, the visitors too had their share of gains among the bowlers as Dushmantha Chameera's 3 for 44 in the second ODI helped lift him 11 spots to be joint-61st along with his team-mate and legspinner Wanindu Hasasranga, who also jumped eight places. Meanwhile, allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan both gained nine spots to be placed 83rd and 94th, respectively.