The 24-year-old sensational Sri Lanka spinner Mahesh Theekshana has moved into the top three of the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings for the very first time. The right-arm off-spinner claimed a combination of seven wickets in successive ODIs for the country against New Zealand away from home, the only recent 50-over game in the Men’s international calendar this week.
The spinner of Sri Lanka enjoyed a hat-trick at the Seddon Park in Hamilton during the first game of the series with a figure of 4/44 in the game. His efforts in the series were a bright spot for the side as they fell short with a 2-1 series defeat against the home side.
Theekshana, who now has gained 663 rating points, enjoys the career-high rankings in the tally of the ICC’s latest rankings, only six behind the front-runner leg spinner of Afghanistan, Rashid Khan (669) and the left-arm wrist spinner of India, Kuldeep Yadav, who is at the second position in the table.
Along with the Sri Lanka bowler, New Zealand’s pace bowler Matt Henry has also celebrated a great series with 635 points, thanks to his nine wickets at an average of 10.33 to move up to three spots to equal-ninth in the rankings alongside Australia’s Adam Zampa, which rounds top ten of the list.
Sri Lanka’s Mahesh Theekshana climbs up to the third position of the ICC Men’s Bowler’s ranking
The Kiwi captain and the left-arm spinner, Mitchell Santer (5999) was the only other notable movement at the top of the leaderboard, thanks to his climb of two places to the 15th.
Asitha Fernando, the fast bowler of Sri Lanka, shouldering on his career-best figure of 3/26, went up 34 places to equal the 97th spot in the format. There was not much improvement in the batting department’s rankings as the top ten remains unchanged.
The top spot still belongs to the former Pakistan captain Babar Azam with the help of 795 ratings, followed by the Indian trio of Rohit Sharma (765), Shubman Gill (763), and Virat Kohli (746). Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I captain, Charith Asalanka, has scored only four runs in three innings against New Zealand, including two ducks, which has resulted in a slide of five places to 18th.
The performance of the Sri Lanka spinner, Theekshana, has worked in him getting promoted, with four spots to equal 26th in the all-rounder rankings. The star spin all-rounder of Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi (300), remains in the top spot ahead of the T20I captain of Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza (290).
Kusal Mendis from Sri Lanka finishes the year 2024 as the leading run-getter in ODIs with 742 runs in 17 innings at 53, thanks to six fifties and one century, while their opener, Pathum Nissanka, is second on the list with 694 runs in 12 innings at 63.09, shouldering on two fifties and three centuries.
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Sri Lanka will now feature in the two ODIs at home against Australia, who have worked with the SL to add an extra game of the format in their aim to prepare the best for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which will take place from February 19 to March 09. The games, except India’s involvement, will be played on three grounds- the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the National Stadium in Karachi, and the Rawalpindi Stadium.
The Rohit Sharma-led side will face their opposition at the Dubai International Stadium in the United Arab Emirates after the confirmation of the hybrid model between the PCB and BCCI due to security reasons.