Dubai, April 29 (IANS) Bangladesh’s pace trio of Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Nahid Rana combined to take 18 wickets and made significant gains in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings following their side’s recent series victory over New Zealand at home.

The hosts clinched a closely fought 2-1 series win, with their fast bowlers playing a decisive role across the three matches, driving Bangladesh’s success and earning notable rises in the updated rankings.

Shoriful climbed 11 places to reach 28th, while Mustafizur made a bigger leap of 14 spots to move to 41st. Player of the Series Rana was the biggest gainer among them, jumping 16 positions to break into the top 50 at 48th, underlining Bangladesh’s growing strength in pace bowling ahead of the upcoming global events.

Bangladesh’s batters also enjoyed an upward movement after their contributions in the series. Najmul Hossain Shanto rose 11 places to 32nd, while Litton Das surged 15 spots to 65th in the ODI batting charts following consistent performances.

All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz further strengthened his standing, moving up one position to joint third in the ODI all-rounders’ rankings. His impact came in the series-deciding match in Chattogram, where he contributed with both bat and ball.

The gains extended to the shortest format as well, with Bangladesh players featuring prominently in the updated T20I rankings after the opening match of their ongoing series against New Zealand.

Towhid Hridoy impressed with a match-winning half-century in the series opener and climbed nine places to 39th among T20I batters. Parvez Hossain Emon also moved up, rising three spots to share 40th position.

Among bowlers, Mahedi Hasan advanced three places to equal 18th, reflecting his consistent performances.

Meanwhile, players from Nepal also made gains following their home series against the UAE. Dipendra Singh Airee edged up to 60th among T20I batters, while Kushal Bhurtel registered a significant rise of 18 places to joint 66th.

The duo also improved their positions in the T20I all-rounders’ rankings, moving to fourth and 23rd respectively, capping a productive period for Nepal in the shortest format.

–IANS

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