Cricket rankings often tell the story behind recent performances, who is shining, who is slipping and which teams are building momentum. The latest women’s ODI and T20I rankings have brought plenty of movement, with Indian stars holding firm while players from New Zealand and Sri Lanka make big gains.
Smriti Mandhana continues to lead the women’s ODI batting rankings, once again proving her consistency at the top level. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur also maintained her position, staying steady at eighth place. However, it was not all good news for India. Jemimah Rodrigues dropped out of the top 10 and is now ranked 12th after India’s 0-3 ODI series loss to Australia women’s national cricket team.
Meanwhile, New Zealand women’s national cricket team players made strong progress thanks to excellent performances at home. The team secured a 2-0 lead in their three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe women’s national cricket team.
Newly appointed captain Amelia Kerr led from the front with the ball. She picked up four wickets in the first match and followed it with a stunning seven-wicket haul in Dunedin, a rare achievement in women’s ODIs. Her efforts lifted her five places to 11th in the ODI bowlers’ rankings, while she also climbed to fifth among ODI all-rounders.
Batters Brooke Halliday and Maddy Green also surged in the charts. Brooke Halliday smashed a brilliant unbeaten 157 off 117 balls in the series opener, while Maddy Green contributed 67 in the same game and an unbeaten 27 in the next. Their performances pushed Brooke Halliday up to 11th and Maddy Green to 22nd in ODI batting rankings.
The latest T20I rankings also saw movement after West Indies women’s national cricket team hosted Sri Lanka women’s national cricket team.
Sri Lanka’s Hasini Perera climbed 15 spots to 28th after an unbeaten half-century that sealed the series. Imesha Dulani jumped 17 places to 72nd with an unbeaten 34 in the final match. Teammate Kavisha Dilhari also rose in both bowling and all-rounder lists.
For the West Indies, veteran spinner Afy Fletcher moved up to seventh among T20I bowlers after taking three wickets in the last two matches.
Hopefully, Indian women cricketers will improve their rankings next time.
