Pakistan’s newly appointed one-day international (ODI) captain Shaheen Afridi and star batter Babar Azam have fallen in the latest ICC rankings of the 50-over format, while several other national players have made notable advancements.

In the batting rankings, Babar Azam dropped one position to fifth, holding 728 rating points. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and opener Fakhar Zaman each gained a spot, now positioned at 23rd and 26th, respectively.

Middle-order batsman Salman Ali Agha jumped nine places to 30th with 569 points after his pivotal performance against South Africa in the series opener.

Left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq slipped one spot to 42nd, whereas young opener Saim Ayub retained his position at 53rd with 509 points.

India’s Rohit Sharma has retained his position as the top-ranked ODI batter, with Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran holding on to second place.

New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell moved up two spots to third, pushing India’s Shubman Gill down to fourth.

In the bowling charts, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi slipped one place to 15th with 587 points, while fellow pacer Naseem Shah surged 10 positions to 33rd with 524 points.

Spinner Abrar Ahmed also gained ground, rising to 37th, and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz climbed three places to 69th with 436 points.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues to dominate the ODI bowling rankings, followed by South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj in second.

England’s Jofra Archer advanced to third, overtaking Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana, who dropped to fourth.

Chief selector George Bailey praised uncapped opener Jake Weatherald as “impressive” after the 31-year-old was named in Australia’s squad for the first Ashes Test. Bailey highlighted Weatherald’s attributes, saying he possesses all the qualities needed for the role.

Marnus Labuschagne was recalled to the squad, while young opener Sam Konstas was dropped from the 15-man roster. Steve Smith will captain the side in Pat Cummins’s absence due to injury.

If selected to face Ben Stokes’s England in Perth on November 21, Weatherald would become Usman Khawaja’s sixth opening partner since David Warner’s early retirement last year.

Previous experiments with Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Travis Head, Labuschagne, and Konstas had not yielded long-term success.

Bailey did not confirm whether Weatherald would make his debut in the XI. “No, not confirmed in the XI,” he said.

“We still have 14 of our 15-man squad playing round four of the Sheffield Shield, so there’s more information to gather. Cameron Green returning to the bowling crease will also influence selections.”

All-rounder Green has been batting only since returning mid-year following back surgery 13 months ago, having bowled just a handful of overs this season.

If he proves fit to handle sufficient bowling workload, Green would likely bat at six, allowing Weatherald to open with Khawaja.

In that case, Labuschagne would return to his preferred number three position, after scoring five centuries in eight innings this season.

If Green is still struggling with his bowling, Labuschagne could open alongside Khawaja, with Green at three and Beau Webster retaining his spot at six.

Renshaw left out

Tasmanian left-hander Weatherald has been a top performing opener in domestic ranks over the past few years.

He put himself on the Ashes radar by clobbering 183 for Australia A during a red-ball series against Sri Lanka A in Darwin this year, with his form continuing in the Sheffield Shield.

“I think if you look at his performance over 18 to 24 months it’s been really solid and then there’s a method there that I think we like and is complementary to those other players around him in the squad,” Bailey said.

“He scores at a good rate. The way he goes about building his innings, it’s been impressive.”

His inclusion meant disappointment for Matt Renshaw, who had been tipped to get the nod as Konstas has struggled for form.

Smith takes charge because Cummins, who will travel with the squad to Perth, has not played since picking up a lower back injury against the West Indies more than three months ago.

The day-night second Test in Brisbane from December 4 is a tentative target for Cummins to return.

The ever-reliable Scott Boland will replace Cummins in the seam attack alongside quick bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Nathan Lyon provides the spin option in his 140th Test, where he can surpass Glenn McGrath to become the sixth-highest wicket-taker in history by claiming two more victims.

Uncapped Brendan Doggett and Sean Abbott were included as the back-up fast bowlers and Josh Inglis will provide cover for wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Following Perth, the five-Test series moves to Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

England drew 2-2 on home turf in the most recent Ashes series in 2023, but have not won in Australia since 2010-2011.

Australia squad:

Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

LAS VEGAS — Arizona freshman Koa Peat had a chip on his shoulder before making his college debut Monday.

Feeling a bit neglected in Switzerland while playing for the USA 19-and-under team, the three-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year said he was going to remind people that he was one of the best incoming freshmen, despite not playing in the McDonald’s All-American Game or at the Nike Hoop Summit.

“I feel like I’ve been kind of forgotten,” Peat said during an earlier interview with Hoops HQ. “I’m just trying to remind people and show them what I’m about.”

And that’s exactly what he did Monday, announcing his presence in college basketball with authority during No. 13 Arizona’s 93-87 win over third-ranked and reigning champion Florida in the Hall of Fame Series inside the jam-packed T-Mobile Arena.

“It was a coming out party for him, so to speak,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Everyone’s known about him, but no one’s really, really studied him and watched him, and he’s a special player.”

The 18-year-old defied his freshman status in his nationally televised collegiate debut, leading all scorers with 30 points and adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists. He became the second Big 12 freshman to debut with 30 or more points, joining Kansas State‘s Michael Beasley, who had 32 in his debut in 2007.

Jaden Bradley was also impressive, scoring 27 points, including 11 of Arizona’s final 18 points, to help seal the win. He added five assists, making him and Peat the second pair of Arizona teammates in the past 30 seasons to each have at least 25 points and five assists in the same game. They join Chase Budinger and Nic Wise, who did it against Stanford on March 7, 2009.

Peat is a part of a family that has produced seven Division I athletes. He’s the son of Todd Peat, a guard in the NFL for nine seasons, and his brother, Andrus, is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who spent much of his time in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Koa Peat’s athleticism was on full display late in the second half with the score tied at 70-all when he delivered back-to-back thunderous dunks, sending the crowd of 16,704 into a frenzy and giving Arizona a 74-70 lead. He gave the Wildcats momentum for a game-ending 23-17 run to provide the difference.

Peat said spending his summer playing for Lloyd while representing Team USA with the 19-and-under World Cup team that won gold in Switzerland helped prepare him for his first season at the collegiate level.

“He ran some of the same sets at USA, so coming to U of A in the fall, it was pretty easy to adapt to those,” said Peat, who was the national team’s third-leading scorer and leading rebounder. “I think what really helped me [tonight] was just the practices. We practiced really hard throughout the week, leading up to this game. And I’m just grateful to have coaches and teammates that put me in positions to be good, and especially [Bradley]. He just makes my game so easy … he’s one of the best point guards in the country, if not the best point guard in the country.”

Thomas Haugh led Florida with 27 points, Xaivian Lee scored 14, and Alex Condon and Micah Handlogten each had 11.

Ivan Kharchenkov, who shook off an injury late in the first half that sent him to the locker room, finished with 12 points for the Wildcats.

Arizona shot 49.2% (30-of-61) from the field, while Florida’s poor second-half shooting (14-of-38, 36.8%) sealed its fate in becoming the first reigning champion to lose its season opener since Syracuse in 2003-04.

The Gators opened the game strong, pushing their lead to 12 points after hitting 11 of their first 16 shots. But the Wildcats clamped down on defense and held Florida to 5-for-16 shooting the rest of the half while going on a 32-16 run by hitting 11 of 18 shots down the stretch.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.