Agency :
Bangladesh’s skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has long struggled with his form, a trend that continued until his latest outing against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.
His inconsistent performances had earlier seen him dropped from Fortune Barishal’s squad in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), despite being the National Team Captain. Shanto also failed to make an impact in the Champions Trophy opener against India, departing for a duck.
However, Shanto ended his run drought in the match against New Zealand, scoring a patient 77 off 110 balls in a traditional ODI-style innings. Despite this decent performance, Shanto slipped further down in the ICC ODI batting rankings, moving from 25th to 27th position.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim also continued his downward trend, dropping nine spots to 42nd. This marks the first time since February 2014 that Mushfiq has fallen outside the top 40. Mahmudullah also saw a decline, moving down seven places to 43rd.
On a brighter note for Bangladesh, young batter Towhid Hridoy, who struck a century against India, made a significant leap in the rankings, climbing 18 spots to secure 64th place.
In the global rankings, only one change occurred in the top five. Indian superstar Virat Kohli, after his century against Pakistan, rose to fifth place, pushing New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell down a spot. Mitchell, who did not play against Bangladesh, now sits outside the top five.
Shubman Gill remains firmly at the top of the rankings.
