Smriti Mandhana and King Shine in Latest ODI Rankings
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Key Takeaways
Dubai, March 3 (NationPress) Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana and Australian spinner King have ascended to the pinnacle of the Women's ODI rankings for batting and bowling, respectively, in the latest ICC update published on Tuesday.
Both players achieved this milestone during the exhilarating week of three ODIs, where Mandhana recorded impressive scores of 58 and 31. This performance enabled her to surpass Laura Wolvaardt (790), who will have a chance to reclaim her position when the Proteas face New Zealand in March and April.
On the bowling front, King (775) has ended England's Sophie Ecclestone's nearly four-year dominance at the top of the bowlers' rankings. During the week, King claimed seven wickets with an average of 16.71, including a standout performance of 4-33 from 10 overs in the third ODI, contributing to a significant 185-run victory for her team. This achievement marks her first ascent to the No. 1 ranking and a career-high rating.
King is supported by four Australian bowlers in the top eight, including Ash Gardner (third), Annabel Sutherland (fifth), Megan Schutt (seventh), and Kim Garth (eighth).
Several other players from the series also experienced notable advancements in their rankings.
Despite losing two of the three T20Is on their home turf, Australia rebounded to secure victories in all three ODIs as part of the multi-format series, with contributors like Beth Mooney, Ash Gardner, and Alyssa Healy, the latter of whom announced her retirement from ODIs.
Healy concluded her ODI career with a century in her final match, finishing fourth in the rankings (744), positioned between Mooney (749) and Gardner (724).
Despite India's loss in all three matches, captain Harmanpreet Kaur (652) has moved up four spots back into the top ten for batters (ninth), thanks to scores of 53, 54, and 25.
In the ODI All-Rounder Rankings, Gardner (516) holds the top position, nearly 100 rating points ahead of the West Indies' Hayley Matthews (418) in second place.
Annabel Sutherland (408) made a two-spot improvement in the All-Rounder Rankings, while young talent Georgia Voll (534) made a remarkable 23-spot leap to 34th in the Batting Rankings after averaging 54 across the three ODIs.