Sri Lanka have slipped to seventh place in the latest ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings after being overtaken by Afghanistan, who have climbed to sixth to secure their highest-ever position in the format.
The latest rankings, released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), show Sri Lanka and Afghanistan level on 94 rating points, with Afghanistan occupying sixth place and Sri Lanka dropping to seventh.
Sri Lanka have accumulated 4,144 points from 44 matches, while Afghanistan have 2,926 points from 31 matches.
The latest setback comes following Sri Lanka's defeat to Pakistan in the final of the recently concluded ODI tri-series, which also featured England. Sri Lanka lost one rating point following the tournament, allowing Afghanistan to move ahead in the rankings.
Despite the rankings setback, Sri Lanka produced several notable performances during the competition. They recorded a historic successful chase of 430 runs against England in Rawalpindi, registering the second-highest successful run chase in men's ODI history.
Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis also delivered an outstanding performance in the tri-series final, scoring 131 runs off 128 deliveries against Pakistan. However, his maiden ODI century was not enough to prevent Sri Lanka from suffering a three-wicket defeat, as Pakistan chased down the target to claim the tri-series title.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's rise to sixth place follows a series of impressive performances in international cricket. Since making their ODI debut in 2009, Afghanistan have won 96 of their 191 matches, maintaining a win-loss ratio of 1.09.
Their recent achievements include a 4-0 away series victory against Ireland and an unbeaten campaign in the tri-series involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
India continue to lead the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings with 115 rating points, followed by New Zealand with 109. South Africa occupy third place with 104 points, while Pakistan are fourth, also with 104 points. Australia remain fifth with 102 points.
