Being the nephew of a great is a blessing or a curse? Ask it from Pakistan’s opening batsman Imamul Haq and the answer is self-evident.

Imam, who is the nephew of former Pakistan captain and chief selector Inzamamul Haq has always been on the receiving end of the critics and fans who dubbed him a ‘parchi’ player who made his way into the national team through unfair means and connections.

However, there is a big slap on the face of such fans and critics as this parchi player has also sneaked into the top 3 of the ICC ODI batting ranking.

After a smashing win in the three-match one day series against Australia at Gaddafi Stadium, opening batter Imam made his way to the top three ICC Men's ODI batting rankings for his impressive performance.

The flamboyant batter reached the third spot while star batter Babar Azam remains on top.

"Imam-ul-Haq makes significant gains," wrote ICC on its Instagram account.

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Referring to the recent Pakistan vs Australia series, the statement also said: "Pakistan players make major movements in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's Player Rankings for ODIs and Tests after #PAKvAUS series."

Earlier, Imam had taken over the 10th spot from the 12th after scoring 103 runs in the first ODI on 96 balls.

During the one day series, Imam scored two centuries and 89 runs in the third match of the series.

Shaheen Shah Afridi also broke into to Top 10 in ICC Bowling rankings as he reached at the seventh spot after improving his ranking by eight positions.