Afghanistan overtake England in latest ICC ODI rankings
Afghanistan moved above England into seventh place after winning their tri-series against Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan moved up to seventh after they won the tri-series final in Sharjah. They picked up two rating points and overtook England, who lost two points after defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.
Zimbabwe were held to 169, with Rashid Khan claiming three wickets and Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Nabi and Bilal Sami each taking two. Ibrahim Zadran stayed not out on 70 from 96 balls, sharing stands of 68 with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (36) and 82 with Rahmat Shah (43) as Afghanistan reached the target inside 35 overs.
Afghanistan now hold 94 rating points from 31 matches, one clear of England’s 93 from 36. India stay first on 115, New Zealand second on 109 and South Africa third on 104. Sri Lanka rose to sixth with 95.
CricHubb Take
Afghanistan's rise is built on results against associate sides, not full members. The next genuine test of whether this ranking is sustainable will come when they face India or Australia in a bilateral series.