Rashid Khan continues to make waves, becomes youngest player to top ICC rankings

This Afghanistan leg-break bowler has bettered former Pakistan off-break bowler Saqlain Mushtaq to achieve this feat.

Rashid Khan proved virtually unplayable for Zimbabwe batsmen in the recently-concluded five-match one-day series.

Rashid Khan, the 19-year-old Afghanistan leg-break bowler, has become the youngest player to top any category of ICC rankings by becoming the joint-No. 1 ODI bowler following the latest update.

Read: Virat Kohli breaches 900-point mark in ICC rankings

Rashid, at 7092 days old (19 years and 153 days), has bettered Saqlain Mushtaq's record of 7683 days old (22 years, a 20-year-old record) for the youngest player to top the ICC rankings. Sachin Tendulkar (7878 days old, 21 years), Shakib Al Hasan (7976 days old, 22 years) and Kagiso Rabada (8040 days old, 22 years) are among the other youngest players to occupy top spot.

 

A typically magnificent five-match ODI series with the ball — taking 16 for 127 — against Zimbabwe vaulted Rashid eight places to the top spot in the bowler's rankings, sharing the same with India's Jasprit Bumrah on 787 points.

In addition, a tally of 51 runs with the bat in two innings in that series has helped Rashid break into the top five of the ICC all-rounders rankings. He is currently fourth on the list with 311 rating points, a place and 21 points shy of compatriot and Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mate Mohammad Nabi.