Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Aug 2: Smriti Mandhana, the opening batsman for India, moved up one spot to third place in the most recent ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings after blasting a thunderous half-century against Pakistan at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
She surpassed Sophie Devine of New Zealand and came within two rating points of Australia’s Beth Mooney after scoring 24 against Australia and then an undefeated 63 off 42 balls with eight fours and three sixes. After reclaiming the top spot the previous week, Meg Lanning is still in the lead.
“Mandhana, a formerly top-ranked batter in ODIs, has been ranked third in T20Is in the past too, reaching that position for the first time in 2019 and having last held third position in October last year,” reads an official ICC media release.
Suzie Bates of New Zealand has moved up two spots to sixth place after making an outstanding 91 not out off just 64 balls against South Africa. Tahlia McGrath has moved up one spot to 12th, India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur has moved up four spots to 14th, Pakistan’s Nida Dar has moved up three spots to 40th, and South Africa’s Chloe Tryon has moved up five spots to 47th.
After dominating with the bat against India and the ball against Barbados, who is representing the West Indies in the eight-team competition, Ashleigh Gardner of Australia has risen in all three lists. Gardner moved up five spots to position 11 thanks to her innings of 52 without being knocked out in the first game, and she moved up 26 spots overall thanks to her two-for-six performance against Barbados. She is currently ranked third among all-rounders, which is a career high.
Australia’s left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen, who recorded four for 22 against India, is now ranked fourth overall among bowlers, behind Sophie Ecclestone of England. Amelia Kerr of New Zealand and Megan Schutt of Australia, both fast bowlers, have climbed one spot each to grab the seventh and eighth spots, respectively, while Barbados captain Hayley Matthews has climbed two spots to take the ninth spot.
