Dubai : Australia skipper Meg Lanning jumped two spots while India captain Mithali Raj and opener Smriti Mandhana slipped two places each in the batting chart of the latest ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings released on Tuesday.
Mithali (718 points), who was dismissed cheaply for nine runs while Mandhana (670 points) who hit a fifty (52) in India’s opening women’s ODI World Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday, have slipped to the fourth and 10th spots respectively. On the other hand, pacer Jhulan Goswami (699) was static at fourth in the bowlers’ chart but spin all-rounder Deepti Sharma (310) slipped a spot to the sixth position in all-rounders’ rankings.
Notably, the first five games of the ICC event have caused a lot of movement in the latest update of the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings.
Australia’s Lanning, who was in sublime touch in the game against England, smashing 86 in 110 balls with seven fours and a six, have climbed up two spots in the rankings for batters. Lanning (727) is now just one position and 15 rating points away from the top spot that’s currently occupied by her teammate Alyssa Healy (742).
The Lanning-led Australia beat England by 12 runs in their first game and the Player of the Match, Rachael Haynes, who slammed a brilliant 130 off 131, climbed six spots and broke into the top 10 to occupy the No7 spot in the rankings with 705 points. The other centurion from the game – England’s Nat Sciver rose five spots to No 6.
Hayley Matthews of West Indies made considerable gains across the board in the rankings for batters, bowlers as well as all-rounders. Matthews was the Player of the Match in West Indies’ three-run heist against New Zealand – she scored a brilliant 119 to set a target of 260 for the White Ferns and then accounted for the wickets of the in-form Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday.
She broke into the top 5 in the all-rounders’ list, climbing six spots to No 4 and rose a massive 12 spots to No 20 for batters and three spots No.10 for bowlers.
Among the other players that moved up the rankings were Ayabonga Khaka, whose four-for against Bangladesh in South Africa’s opening game helped her rise a spot to No 6.
–IANS