Laura Wolvaardt of South Africa Reclaims Top Spot in ODI Batters Rankings
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Dubai, Dec 10 (NationPress) Laura Wolvaardt, the captain of South Africa, has successfully reclaimed her position as the top-ranked batter in the ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings due to her remarkable recent performances.
Wolvaardt initially reached the pinnacle during the last ICC Women's Cricket World Cup held in New Zealand in 2022, and since then, she has consistently remained within the top 10, demonstrating her reliability at the top of the batting lineup. Now, she is back in the lead thanks to her scores of 59 not out and 35 in the first two matches of the ICC Women's Championship series against England on home soil.
Wolvaardt has moved up one spot to claim the top position from England's all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, who has dropped to third after scoring 0 and 20 in the initial two matches facing South Africa.
Another South African, Chloe Tryon, has also improved her standing, jumping eight places to tie for 17th among ODI batters due to a solid performance of 45 in the second match of the series. Meanwhile, several Australian players have made significant progress following their strong start in their series against India.
Veteran Ellyse Perry has moved up two positions to fourth place in the ODI batting rankings after achieving a century in Brisbane. Her teammates Phoebe Litchfield and Tahlia McGrath have also climbed the rankings, rising 13 places to 25th and five spots to 32nd, respectively. Additionally, young talent Georgia Voll has entered the batter rankings at 84th, showcasing an impressive start to her international career.
Australia continues to celebrate their success in the ODI bowler rankings as well, with veteran pacer Megan Schutt gaining two places to reach second overall, trailing only England spinner Sophie Ecclestone following her six wickets in two matches against India. Her teammates Kim Garth and Annabel Sutherland have also made advancements, moving up to 16th and 24th, respectively, while South African star Marizanne Kapp has climbed three spots to sixth overall after taking four wickets in the initial two contests against England.
Kapp remains at the forefront of the ODI all-rounder rankings, with Australia's spinner Ash Gardner and England's off-spinner Charlie Dean gaining positions to fourth and tenth, respectively, within the top 10. Additionally, there has been movement in the updated T20I rankings this week, with Irish talent Orla Prendergast entering the top 10 for all-rounders after her team's impressive series sweep against Bangladesh.
Prendergast has risen six spots to tie for ninth overall, having scored 54 runs and taken 10 wickets to earn the Player of the Series accolade against the Asian team, while her teammate Arlene Kelly has also improved six places in the T20I bowlers' rankings to tie for 27th after taking five wickets across three matches.
From Bangladesh, Sharmin Akhter has re-entered the T20I batter rankings at 68th after accumulating 95 runs during the series, while Australia's left-handed batswoman Beth Mooney holds the top position in this category.
