Lahore [Pakistan], May 27 : Sophie Ecclestone's reign as the top-ranked T20I bowler has come to an end, with Pakistan's Sadia Iqbal rising to the summit of the ICC Women's T20I Bowler Rankings. In a moment of pride for Pakistan cricket, the talented left-arm spinner reclaimed her spot at the top on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone in her career, as per the official website of ICC.
Iqbal was one of the leading performers at last year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup and rises one spot on the rankings for T20I bowlers to claim top billing after England spinner Sophie Ecclestone sat out her side's recent T20I series at home against the West Indies.
Ecclestone's absence caused a re-shuffle at the top of the T20I bowler rankings, with Iqbal re-claiming the position at the top of the charts she briefly held during last year's T20 World Cup.
While Ecclestone drops to fourth on the latest T20I rankings charts, the news is better for England teammate Lauren Bell after she improves 13 spots to jump to sixth overall on the back of her seven wickets for the series against the West Indies.
Compatriots Linsey Smith (up 37 spots to 41st) and Issy Wong (up 32 places to equal 62nd) also make gains up the rankings for T20I bowlers following some good performances against the West Indies.
The big winner on the rankings for T20I batters is Hayley Matthews, with the West Indies captain making some inroads on Australia's dominance at the top of the rankings following her Player of the Series efforts against England.
Matthews scored 177 runs at an average of 88.50 across the three games in England and rose two spots to second overall on the latest rankings to put pressure on long-time No.1 ranked batter Beth Mooney.
Mooney now holds a relatively small advantage over Matthews at the top of the batting rankings, with Australia's Tahlia McGrath dropping to third overall due to the gains made by the West Indies star.
A trio of England batters also make eye-catching improvements up the batting chart, with Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight and Sophia Dunkley all rising the rankings following some decent performances with the bat against the West Indies.
Sciver-Brunt rises five places to ninth, Knight jumps seven rungs to equal 17th, while Dunkley improves eight spots to go to equal 29th after 108 runs from three knocks against the West Indies.
Matthews increases her lead at the top of the rankings for T20I all-rounders, with the West Indies skipper also claiming three wickets for the series against England to go alongside her lofty haul of runs.
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