Smriti Mandhana jumps to 4th spot in latest ICC Women's ODI rankings
India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has jumped to the fourth spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings for Women batters. The left-handed batter eclipsed Australia’s Ellyse Perry and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt in the charts, with 696 rating points.
For the unversed, Perry and Wolvaardt had terrible outings with the bat, scoring 42 and seven runs, respectively, in the recently concluded three-match ODI series between South Africa and Australia.
Interestingly, Mandhana’s rise comes even as she made just 63 runs at an average of 31.50 in two ODIs against Australia last month. She is only the second Indian batter in the top-10 list for batters, ahead of 10th-placed Harmanpreet Kaur.
England’s Natalie Sciver-Brunt is placed atop with 807 rating points.
South Africa’s Chloe Tryon moved up one place to 20th among batters, while Anneke Bosche also gained 13 spots to jump to 68th. Australia’s Tahlia McGrath progressed four places to 30th.
Among all-rounders, South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp retained her top spot in the ICC rankings. That came following her heroics of 75 runs and 3/12 in the second ODI as the Proteas registered their first-ever win over Australia in the format.
Meanwhile, India’s Deepti Sharma rose one spot to break into the top-five list. Tryon also broke into the top-10 list for all-rounders for the first time. With 44 off 35 balls and 3/23, McGrath rose five spots to 21st in the list of all-rounders.
Marizanne Kapp rises to 2nd spot in latest ICC ODI rankings
Marizanne Kapp, meanwhile, rose seven spots to the second rung in the latest ICC ODI rankings for Women bowlers. She now has 677 rating points, only behind World No. 1 Sophie Ecclestone, who has 746 rating points. Following the development, Deepti Sharma dropped one spot to fourth.
Similarly, Tryon moved up seven places to 43rd, while Masabata Klass rose two places to 24th. McGrath jumped five spots to 60th among bowlers, while Alana King (77) and Kim Garth (96) were the other players with notable progress.
Following international cricket, the action will now shift to the upcoming second edition of the Women’s Premier League, which starts on February 23. Champions Mumbai Indians will face runners-up Delhi Capitals in the opener in Bengaluru.