HUNTER AND MANDHANA PROSPER IN ICC WOMEN’S ODI PLAYER RANKINGS

• Amy Hunter climbs to career-best 11th in the ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings following a strong series against England

• Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma have made notable gains after impressive performances in the Women’s Asia Cup

Ireland wicket-keeper Amy Hunter has been rewarded for an impressive ODI series against England by moving up to a career-best 11th position in the ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings.

The 20-year-old scored 62, 64 and 39 across the three-match ICC Women’s Championship series as England completed a 3-0 clean sweep, earning Hunter a career-best 644 rating points.

Her tally is the second-highest ever achieved by an Ireland women’s batter, behind only Miriam Grealey’s 654 points recorded in August 2000.

Hunter’s performances were a bright spot for Ireland during a challenging series against an England side that produced a record successful ODI run chase in the opening match in Leicester, when Maia Bouchier’s 104 helped the hosts chase down 282 with 71 balls to spare. Hunter made 62 in that match, before top-scoring with 64 in the second ODI at Derby.

New Zealand’s Maddy Green and West Indies captain Hayley Matthews have moved one place each to sixth and seventh in the batters’ list as England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt slides two places down due to her absence from the series as she continues rehabilitation for her calf injury.

England’s batters also made significant gains following their strong performances during the series. Bouchier, who struck her second ODI century in the opening match, has risen 13 places to 42nd, while Sophia Dunkley has climbed 26 places to 43rd.

Dunkley finished the series in style, scoring 119 in the third ODI at Worcester – her second ODI century – as England completed the clean sweep with a 114-run victory.

Freya Kemp has also made significant progress, moving up 37 places to 76th after scoring 88 runs across the series at a strike rate of 117.33.

There has been less movement among the leading bowlers, although England’s stand-in captain Charlie Dean has advanced two slots to joint-11th, with Lauren Filer zooming 14 places to 39th andIreland’s Cara Murray returning to the top 50, moving up 16 places to 50th.

The latest ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings also reflect strong performances from the ongoing Women’s Asia Cup, with the top 15 batters remaining unchanged.

India opener Smriti Mandhana has strengthened her position inside the top five after producing a remarkable 124 against Hong Kong, China and is just 12 rating points away from surpassing Hayley Matthews, who is in fourth place.

Mandhana’s 64-ball innings not only helped India secure a 137-run victory and a place in the semi-finals but also saw her become the all-time leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket across all formats, surpassing Mithali Raj’s previous record of 10,868 runs. The innings was also her 18th international century, moving her clear at the top of the women’s international centuries list.

India all-rounder Deepti Sharma has also made notable progress in the T20I rankings. Her contributions with both bat and ball have lifted her two slots into sixth position among the leading bowlers and she remains strong in fifth place among the all-rounders, underlining her continued importance to India’s success in the tournament.  

Bangladesh’s Sobhana Mostary has moved up three places to 36th, following her 40 against Indonesia with a valuable 34 against Sri Lanka. Mostary was Bangladesh’s top scorer in their score of 114 for eight against Sri Lanka in Dubai, although her side ultimately fell to a four-wicket defeat.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) captain Esha Oza continues to underline her status as one of the leading Associate Member players, moving to 39th among the T20I batters and remaining just outside the top 20 in the all-rounders’ rankings.

Oza produced an impressive all-round display against Indonesia, scoring 30 from 29 balls and taking two for 11 as the UAE secured their first Women’s Asia Cup victory with a six-wicket win. She was named Player of the Match.

Bangladesh’s bowlers have also made significant gains despite their narrow defeat to Sri Lanka. Marufa Akter has surged 19 places to 18th, while teammate Sultana Khatun has moved up nine places to joint-37th.

Marufa made a major impact in the Asia Cup clash with Sri Lanka, taking three for 21, including the early wickets of Chamari Athapaththu and Imesha Dulani, while Khatun finished with one for 14 as Bangladesh pushed Sri Lanka close in Dubai.

Thailand’s Thipatcha Putthawong and Suleeporn Laomi are the other significant movers among the bowlers, the former advanced four spaces to 47th, with Laomi jumping 10 rungs to 53rd after taking three wickets each in their Asia Cup clash against Pakistan, though they lost by 35 runs.

For more on the ICC Women’s Championship, please click here.

To know more about the ICC Rankings, please click here.