Bright Spots for Bangladesh in ICC Rankings Despite Tough Sri Lanka Tour

Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka may have been disappointing in terms of results, but there were encouraging signs in the latest ICC ODI rankings, particularly for some of their younger players.

The biggest leap came from wicketkeeper-batter Zakir Ali Anik. Despite batting in the lower order, he delivered consistent performances throughout the series, climbing 32 places to become the world’s 59th-ranked ODI batter. Zakir scored a crucial 51 in the first match after a top-order collapse, followed by 24 and 27 in the remaining games, all under pressure situations.

Towhid Hridoy also impressed, moving up 7 spots to 51st after hitting two fifties in the series, including a match-winning 51 in Bangladesh’s sole victory. Young opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim shone with a 62-run knock in the first ODI, jumping 19 places to reach 85th, though struggling Soumya Sarkar remains at 85th despite slipping 7 places due to poor form.

Top-order failures hurt the rankings of Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das. Shanto, who failed to score in the series, fell to 34th, while Litton dropped 8 spots to 78th after being dropped following a first-match duck.

Sri Lanka’s batting stars surged in the rankings. Kusal Mendis jumped 10 places to break into the top 10 after a brilliant series capped by a 124-run knock in the final ODI. Charith Asalanka climbed 2 places to 6th, with a century in the first match and a fifty in the last.

On the bowling front, Bangladesh’s brightest success was young pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib. His 6 wickets across three matches pushed him up 18 spots to 92nd. Taskin Ahmed also improved slightly to 26th, while Mustafizur Rahman (down to 46th) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (29th) lost ground.

Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga was the standout bowler of the series, claiming the most wickets and surging 11 places to reach 8th in the bowling rankings. Meanwhile, debutant left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam impressed with 5 wickets, though he’s yet to enter the ranking table.

India’s Shubman Gill continues to lead the ODI batting rankings, while Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana remains the top-ranked ODI bowler.