Pakistan's cricket team has established a commanding 3-0 lead in the five-match series against New Zealand, placing them within striking distance of the pinnacle in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings.
Pakistan has been dominant in the series, successfully chasing daunting targets in the first two matches and then defending a comparable total in the third.
In the opening ODI, Pakistan's decision to bowl first resulted in New Zealand setting a challenging target of 289. However, Pakistan responded in style, with Fakhar Zaman scoring a century, accompanied by valuable contributions from Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam, allowing them to surpass the target with ease.
In the next match, Pakistan faced a daunting task of chasing 337. But, once again, Fakhar proved his mettle, scoring another colossal century, aided by Babar and Mohammad Rizwan.
Pakistan's top-order batting has been their strength, and they exhibited it yet again in the third match by posting a score of 287/6 in Karachi and then defending it successfully, dismissing the visitors for 261 in under 50 overs.
At the beginning of the series, Pakistan was fifth in the ODI rankings with a score of 106. However, after their fantastic performance at home, they have climbed to third place. Meanwhile, New Zealand, who were second, have fallen to fifth.
Currently, Pakistan is in third place with a score of 112, just marginally behind Australia (113.286) and India (112.638). If they win the fourth ODI, their rating will rise to 113.483, putting them in the top spot, with Australia and India falling to second and third, respectively.
However, Pakistan must secure a clean sweep by winning the fifth and final ODI on Sunday, May 7th, to remain at the top. Failure to do so will result in them slipping to third, with Australia reclaiming the number one ranking.
Pakistan will retain the top spot if they win the fourth ODI, and the fifth match is abandoned or results in a no-result.
With three consecutive defeats, New Zealand's chances of securing the top spot have been severely damaged, and they are out of the running. They currently sit in fifth place with a score of 108, and the highest position they can reach is third if they win the last two ODIs.