Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan offspinner, has risen to the top of the ICC ODI rankings following a successful series against Sri Lanka, which his team won 4-1 in the UAE. Ajmal grabbed 11 wickets in five games at 16.27 and at an economy rate of less than four an over. It gained him five places on the rankings, helping him get ahead of Daniel Vettori and Graeme Swann to reach No.1.
Ajmal has had an excellent year in ODI cricket; he's played 17 games in 2011, and picked up 30 wickets at 17.63. He's also had a superb run in Tests. In six games this year, he's taken 41 wickets at 23.41.
Pakistan's slow bowlers found plenty of assistance on the slow tracks in the Middle East, and it was evident in the performances of Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez as well. Afridi was the top wicket-taker in the series, with 13 at 15.30, including a five-for; he leapt to seventh place in the rankings. Hafeez, who finished with five wickets in as many games, found himself at eighth place.
