Pakistan Climb to Fourth in ICC ODI Rankings on 104 Points, Level With South Africa
Pakistan rose to 4th in the ICC Men's ODI Rankings on 104 points, level with South Africa, after winning the Lahore tri-series final vs Sri Lanka chasing 326 behind Fakhar Zaman's 127.
Pakistan have climbed to fourth place in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings, moving up with a displayed rating of 104 points — level with third-placed South Africa, who also sit on 104. The updated rankings were reported on 2 November 2026 by The Sports Encounter (3 Nov 2026).
Highlights
- Pakistan are 4th in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings with a rating of 104, level with 3rd-placed South Africa (104)
- India lead the table on 115, with New Zealand second
- Pakistan won the Lahore tri-series final vs Sri Lanka on 31 Oct, chasing a record-equalling 326, powered by Fakhar Zaman’s 127 off 99 balls
India remain first with 115 points and New Zealand are second, while Afghanistan’s rise to a historic sixth place is the other headline movement in the table, according to The Sports Encounter. For Pakistan, the jump is significant because the side were fifth on 100 points as recently as 15 October — a four-point gain in little more than two weeks.
The Lahore chase that powered the rise
The rankings lift was built on the field. Pakistan won the Lahore tri-series final against Sri Lanka on 31 October, chasing a record-equalling 326. Fakhar Zaman led the chase with 127 off 99 balls, hitting 11 fours and 6 sixes, and shared a 149-run stand with Saad Baig, as reported by The Sports Encounter. Chasing 326 in a final is exactly the kind of result that moves both ratings and belief.
That attacking intent is becoming Pakistan’s ODI identity again. It also puts their progress in context alongside the wider subcontinental picture — India, the rankings leaders, are dealing with their own selection questions, as our coverage of Rishabh Pant’s fitness doubt for India A shows, while their senior side has just finished a hard T20I series, detailed in the Hamilton finale report.
Why fourth place matters for 2027
Rankings are not trophies, but they shape confidence, seeding conversations and momentum heading into the next cycle. The 2027 ODI World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from 2 October to 21 November 2027, according to The Sports Encounter. Pakistan now sit level on points with the side that will co-host that tournament — a useful psychological marker a year out.
The challenge is consistency. A single tri-series win lifted Pakistan four rating points; a poor series can take them away just as fast. But with a settled top order producing hundreds in finals, and points parity with South Africa, Pakistan have turned a rebuilding phase into a genuine top-four position. Hold this level through the winter, and the 2027 conversation changes from qualification anxiety to knockout ambition.
