DHAKA (SW): Despite losing the maiden One Day International (ODI) series to the hosts Bangladesh, the Afghan squad has further strengthened its position in the world ranking.
With one victory in this three ODIs series, Afghanistan earned 4 points to leave behind its nearest rival Zimbabwe and secure the 10th slot at the International Cricket Council (ICC) ranking. Bangladesh on the other hand, has lost three important points due to defeat in one match during the series.
Bangladesh managed to beat Afghanistan with a phenomenal margin of 141 in a rather one-sided final on Saturday. This was the hosts’ fifth series win at home. Losing three points in the ranking however, might hamper Bangladesh’s prospects for qualifying for the 2019 50 Over World Cup in England.
At the moment, Bangladesh is at number 7 on the ICC ranking but its rival Pakistan at number 9 is displaying impressive performance against the number 8 West Indies, which means it can deprive Bangladesh of its ranking.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has the chance to utilize its potential in the forthcoming home series against the number 5 England to secure its slot. As per the ICC's top ten ranking, Australia is on top followed by New Zealand, South African, India, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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