Shafali nears top 5, Harmanpreet inches closer to entering top 10 in T20I rankings
Dubai, April 21 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Shafali Verma continued her steady rise in the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings, climbing closer to the top five, while India captain Harmanpreet Kaur edged nearer to a return to the top 10 following the latest rankings update on Tuesday.
The rankings reshuffle comes amid the ongoing five-match T20I series between India and South Africa, with several players from both sides rewarded for their recent performances ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales, which starts on June 12.
Shafali jumped two places to sixth in the T20I batting charts after her brisk 57 against South Africa, closing in on the top five, while Smriti Mandhana remains India’s highest-ranked batter at fourth.
Harmanpreet, meanwhile, moved up two spots to be placed just outside the top 10 at joint 11th, courtesy of her unbeaten 47 in the series opener, signalling a return to form at a crucial juncture.
Among South African players, captain Laura Wolvaardt retained her fifth position after a composed half-century in the second T20I, while teammates Annerie Dercksen (up 18 places to 33rd) and Sune Luus (up eight places to 35th) made notable gains.
In the bowling rankings, Sadia Iqbal held on to the No. 1 spot, though South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba surged five places to joint sixth after an impressive start to the series against India.
Further gains for South Africa came from Ayabonga Khaka (up eight places to 25th), Chloe Tryon (up three to 38th) and Tumi Sekhukhune (up 23 to 55th). India also saw progress through left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who climbed four spots to 23rd.
In the all-rounders’ list, Melie Kerr continued to occupy the top position, while Tryon (up four places to joint 11th) and Dercksen (up 11 to 29th) registered significant improvements.
Meanwhile, the ODI rankings also witnessed movement following the opening match of the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka series. Sharmin Akhter made the biggest impact, climbing seven places to 22nd after an 86-run knock in Rajshahi.
Her teammate Sobhana Mostary rose eight spots to 50th after contributing 41 runs, while bowlers Nahida Akter (13th), Rabeya Khan (20th) and Marufa Akter (up nine places to joint 43rd) also moved up the rankings.
