The ICC released an updated set of Men’s ODI Player Rankings on June 17, 2026, and Bangladesh’s bowlers are the biggest winners. Following their historic 2-1 series victory over Australia, several Bangladesh pacers made significant gains in the bowling charts. Shoriful Islam was the standout mover after his career-best six-wicket haul in the series finale.
Shoriful Islam Makes the Biggest Jump
Shoriful Islam was Bangladesh’s standout performer in the rankings update. He took career-best figures of 6 for 48 in the third ODI against Australia. Shoriful bowled a spell that almost won Bangladesh the match and completed a perfect series sweep. That performance was always going to move him up in ICC Ranking to 18th position with 10 positions upgrade.
He had only just returned to the ODI side for that final match after being left out of the first two games. Bangladesh’s depth in fast bowling had kept him out of the XI initially. He responded in the only way that matters at this level, with a performance that forced his way back into the conversation and into the rankings.
Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed Also Climb
Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed both played key roles throughout the series and have been rewarded accordingly. Mustafizur took 3 for 27 in the decisive 2nd ODI and was consistently economical across all three matches. Taskin Ahmed took 3 for 33 in that same match and set the tone with the ball in hand throughout the series. With the remarkable spell of both bowlers in the second ODI where Australia lost their first three wickets without scoring a run Bangladesh secured record ODI series win against Australia.
Both bowlers have built their reputation on control as much as pace. Mutafizur Rahman reached 25th and Taskin Ahmed secured 27th position in ICC ODI Rankings. Their rise in the rankings reflects a body of work across the whole series rather than a single standout performance. That kind of consistency is exactly what the ICC rankings system rewards over time.
Why This Matters for Bangladesh Cricket
This is not an isolated rankings bump. Bangladesh’s bowlers have been climbing the ICC charts throughout 2026 after a string of impressive series wins. They have now beaten West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Australia in ODI series since October 2025. Each of those series has produced strong individual performances from the same core group of fast bowlers.
What makes this particular update significant is the opponent. Beating Australia, and beating them with their bowling attack as the headline act, sends a message to the rest of world cricket. Bangladesh are no longer just a side that competes well at home. Their pace attack is now genuinely feared by batting lineups from the biggest cricket nations in the world.
A Pace Attack Built on Depth
What stands out most about Bangladesh’s current bowling group is the depth available to their captain. Nahid Rana provides genuine pace and has been among Bangladesh’s most important bowlers across formats this year. Mustafizur Rahman offers control and variation. Taskin Ahmed brings experience and the ability to strike early. Shoriful Islam, even when left out of the XI, proved he can deliver match-winning performances the moment he gets his chance.
This depth is a problem most teams would love to have. Litton Das, who has captained Bangladesh in white-ball cricket, has spoken before about the healthy competition for places in this pace attack and how good that is for Bangladesh cricket going forward. The rankings update on June 17 is simply the latest evidence of that competition paying off on the field. Check out the Women’s T20 ranking massive ranking.
What Comes Next
Bangladesh’s bowlers will want to carry this momentum into the T20I series against Australia, which follows immediately after the ODI series in Chattogram. If they continue performing at this level, more rankings gains are likely in the coming months. With the 2027 ODI World Cup cycle now well underway, a bowling attack moving up the global rankings at this rate is exactly the kind of form Bangladesh need heading into the bigger tournaments ahead.
