Dubai, April 7 Australia leg-spinner Alana King reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Women’s ODI Bowling Rankings within four days of losing it as she took a remarkable five for 19 to overtake England spinner Sophie Ecclestone and move up in the list.
King’s spell, along with Phoebe Litchfield’s 68 not out (56 balls), helped Australia to a nine-wicket win and a 3-0 series victory over the West Indies.
Litchfield’s unbeaten 87-run, second-wicket partnership with Ellyse Perry (33 not out off 40 deliveries) saw her remain steady in fifth place in the ODI Batting Rankings, but she crossed the 700 rating points mark for the first time. Perry’s contributions moved her two slots to re-enter the top 10 from 12th place last week.
In Wellington, New Zealand captain Amelia Kerr smashed an unbeaten 139-ball 179 to help her side to a record-breaking, series-levelling chase of 350 for eight in the second ODI against South Africa. Her heroics were enough to lift her six slots to joint 14th place in the ODI Batting Rankings alongside Pakistan’s Sidra Amin.
In their successful series decider, the White Ferns’ Maddy Green was the architect of her team’s success, striking an unbeaten 141 from 128 deliveries to beat the Proteas by 66 runs. Her performance advanced her four spaces to a career-best ninth place in the batters’ list, her first appearance in the top 10, the ICC said in a release on Tuesday.
Finally, South Africa’s Ayabonga Khaka, the leading wicket-taker of the series, has jumped five places to number 12.
New Zealand, who bounced back from their opening loss to take their ICC Women’s Championship series against South Africa 2-1, have taken the top position in the table with 10 points from six matches.
The Proteas are currently in third place, having won three and lost three of their six matches to date, while Australia have completed an unbeaten tour of the West Indies with a nine-wicket victory in the final ODI in St. Kitts to occupy second place with a 100% record from their three matches.
The West Indies are currently in sixth place with just one win from the six matches they have played so far. With four teams yet to play in the tournament, they might be feeling some pressure with only the top seven-ranked teams plus the hosts qualifying automatically for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2029.
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