Maheesh Theekshana Narrows Gap with Kuldeep Yadav After Achieving Career-Best ICC Rankings

Maheesh Theekshana Achieves Career-Best ICC ODI Rankings, Closes in on Kuldeep Yadav Sri Lanka off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana has climbed to a career-best third place in the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings, marking his first entry into the top three. The 24-year-old achieved this milestone following impressive performances in Sri Lanka’s recent ODI series against New…


Maheesh Theekshana Narrows Gap with Kuldeep Yadav After Achieving Career-Best ICC Rankings

Maheesh Theekshana Achieves Career-Best ICC ODI Rankings, Closes in on Kuldeep Yadav

Sri Lanka off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana has climbed to a career-best third place in the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings, marking his first entry into the top three. The 24-year-old achieved this milestone following impressive performances in Sri Lanka’s recent ODI series against New Zealand.

Stellar Performances Propel Theekshana

Theekshana leaped four spots after an outstanding 4/44, including a hat-trick, in the second ODI in Hamilton, despite Sri Lanka losing the match by 113 runs. He followed up with a match-winning 3/35 in the third ODI in Auckland, where Sri Lanka secured a convincing 140-run victory.

Additionally, Theekshana rose four places to joint-26th in the men’s ODI all-rounder rankings, sharing the spot with Curtis Campher and Gudakesh Motie.

ICC Bowling Rankings Update

With 663 rating points, Theekshana is now just six points behind top-ranked bowler Rashid Khan (669) of Afghanistan. India’s Kuldeep Yadav is in second place with 665 points, while Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi ranks fourth with 662 points, making the top three positions dominated by spinners.

Other Key Rankings Movements

Asitha Fernando (Sri Lanka): Career-best figures of 3/26 in the final match earned him a jump to 97th place.

Matt Henry (New Zealand): The Player of the Series winner climbed back into the top 10, tying for ninth with Adam Zampa after taking nine wickets at an average of 10.33.

Mitchell Santner (New Zealand): Rose two spots to 15th following three wickets in the last two matches.


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Batting Rankings Stability

There were minimal changes in the men’s ODI batting rankings, with Pakistan’s Babar Azam retaining the top spot (795 points). India’s Rohit Sharma (765), Shubman Gill (763), and Virat Kohli (746) continue to hold the second, third, and fourth positions, respectively.

Notable Batting Movements

  • Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand): Jumped 11 places to 39th after scoring 79 in the second match.
  • Janith Liyanage (Sri Lanka): Climbed 11 spots to 57th with a half-century in the final match.
  • Mark Chapman (New Zealand): Broke into the top 100 with scores of 62 and 81.
  • Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka): Dropped five places to 18th after consecutive ducks in the series.

The rankings updates reflect the recent high-stakes performances and underline the competitive spirit in international cricket.