All cricket lovers are eagerly waiting for the start of Asia Cup. Before that, the Pakistan team playing under the captaincy of Babar Azam has a great chance to get the No.1 position in the ODI rankings. Currently the Australian team is number one in the ICC ODI rankings with 118 rating points. On the other hand, the Pakistan team is at the second position with 116 rating points while the Indian team is at the third position with 115 rating points.
The Pakistan team is scheduled to play a 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan from August 22 in Sri Lanka before the Asia Cup. The first 2 matches will be played in Hambantota while the last match will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on August 26. If the Pakistan team is successful in a clean sweep in this series, its rating will be 119 points. In such a situation, he will attain the number-1 position in the ODI rankings.
If Pakistan lose even one match in the ODI series against Afghanistan, they can also lose their second place. If the series result is also 2-1, Pakistan will move to third place below India in the team rankings. On the other hand, if Afghanistan wins this series, Pakistan team will directly reach the third position with 111 points. However, the task is not going to be easy for Afghanistan.
The Asia Cup starting from August 30 is being played in the hybrid model for the first time. Some of the matches will be played in Pakistan while some will be played in Sri Lanka. India and Pakistan are in the same group in the Asia Cup and the match between the two teams will be played on September 2 at the Pallekele Stadium in Sri Lanka.