Hayley Matthews Climbs to Top 10 in ODI Batting Rankings
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Synopsis
Hayley Matthews, the West Indies all-rounder, has ascended back into the top five of the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings, thanks to her stellar performance in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier in Lahore, where she scored 240 runs.
Key Takeaways
- Hayley Matthews returns to the fifth position in ODI batting rankings.
- Her performance includes a standout 70 runs off 29 balls against Thailand.
- West Indies failed to qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.
- Matthews was the leading wicket-taker at the qualifiers with 13 wickets.
- Nahida Akter and Sadia Iqbal made significant ranking improvements.
Dubai, April 22 (NationPress) West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews has made her way back into the top five of the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings following her impressive performance of 240 runs during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier held in Lahore.
The captain of West Indies, who was awarded Player of the Match for her explosive 70 runs off just 29 balls against Thailand, led her team to a six-wicket victory with 235 balls remaining, moving her up two places to the fifth position—just one rank below her career peak of fourth achieved at the tournament's onset, as reported by the ICC.
However, the victory did not suffice for the West Indies to secure a spot in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, set to take place in India, as they concluded with a net run rate that was merely 0.013 shy of Bangladesh, the second team to qualify alongside the hosts, Pakistan.
Players from Bangladesh and Pakistan who qualified for this year’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup also saw their rankings improve after finishing in the top two positions during the recent qualifier.
Matthews topped the wicket-takers list at the qualifiers with 13 wickets and remains in the top 10 of the ODI bowler rankings, standing ninth. Her teammate Afy Fletcher reached a career-best-equalling position of 21st following impressive performances, including four wickets for 20 runs against Thailand and two for 43 against Bangladesh.
Notable advancements were also seen from left-arm spinners Nahida Akter of Bangladesh and Sadia Iqbal of Pakistan. Nahida, who claimed four wickets for 40 runs against Scotland, moved up two spots to 10th, achieving a new career-high rating after taking six wickets for Bangladesh during the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Sadia improved five positions to 17th among ODI bowlers after securing nine wickets at the qualifiers. Her teammates Fatima Sana (up five spots to a tie for 27th) and Diana Baig (up three places to 35th) also made significant progress on the same list. Leg-spinner Rabeya Khan of Bangladesh climbed one spot to 22nd place after advancing one rank.
Fatima has also improved her standing in the all-rounders’ rankings, moving up to 11th and joint-15th positions.
