Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Dec 23: India’s Deepti Sharma and South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt were the standout movers in the latest ICC Women’s Player Rankings released on Tuesday, with both claiming the top position in their respective categories.
Deepti rose to the No.1 spot among T20I bowlers for the first time in her career following an impressive outing in the opening match of India’s home T20I series against Sri Lanka. Her figures of 1 for 20 from four overs in Vizag played a key role in India’s eight-wicket victory and earned her five rating points, allowing her to edge past Australia’s Annabel Sutherland by a single point.
Sutherland had held the top position since August, but Deepti’s consistent performance was enough to end the Australian’s run at the summit of the T20I bowling rankings.
India also saw gains from Arundhati Reddy, who climbed five places to 36th in the T20I bowling list. In the batting rankings, Jemimah Rodrigues emerged as the biggest gainer, jumping five spots to ninth after scoring an unbeaten half-century against Sri Lanka to earn the Player of the Match award.
Rodrigues now features in the T20I top 10 alongside fellow Indians Smriti Mandhana, ranked third, and Shafali Verma, who sits in 10th position.
In the ODI batting rankings, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt reclaimed the No.1 spot from Mandhana following her prolific run against Ireland. Wolvaardt struck centuries in the final two matches of the three-match series, guiding South Africa to a clean 3-0 sweep and achieving a new career-high rating in the process.
Mandhana dropped to second place despite remaining among the most consistent performers in the format.
South Africa’s Sune Luus also made notable progress, moving up seven places to 34th in the ODI batting rankings and jumping 11 spots to 22nd among ODI all-rounders after contributing with both bat and ball.
Ireland recorded gains as well, with Arlene Kelly rising five places to 27th in the ODI bowling rankings. In the batting charts, Gaby Lewis advanced four places to 18th, while Amy Hunter climbed three spots to 28th, reflecting steady progress for the Irish side.