Smriti Closes Gap To Third Place, Harmanpreet Back In Top 10 Of ICC Women's ODI Rankings

Dubai, Nov 5: India batter Smriti Mandhana, who won the Player of the Match award for 100 off 122 in the third ODI against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, has closed the gap to Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu, who sits in third spot in the latest ICC Women's ODI player rankings update released Tuesday.

Mandhana, who is placed in the fourth spot, has added 23 rating points and reached a tally of 728, just five less than Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu in the list led by Natalie Sciver-Brunt of England with 760 rating points.

South African Laura Wolvaardt (756) and England's Nat Sciver-Brunt (760) are safely sitting at the top of the rankings.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, meanwhile, has moved back into the top 10 in the batter's list after an unbeaten 59 in the final match of their ICC Women’s Championship series in Ahmedabad.

Harmanpreet, who had slipped three slots after the first two matches, grabbed the joint-ninth spot with New Zealand's Sophie Devine with 654 rating points.

In the bowling rankings, Deepti Sharma gained important rating points in the ODI bowling rankings after her fine efforts in the day-night match helped India clinch the series 2-1. The off-spinner attained a career-high 703 rating points, 17 points clear from England's Kate Cross (686), after her haul of three for 39. Sophie Ecclestone remains well clear in the top spot (770).

In other notable ranking moves in the bowler's list, Renuka Singh up four places to be on 32nd, Saima Thakor (up 20 places to joint-77th) and Priya Mishra (up six places to 83rd) have all progressed.

Lea Tahuhu's late charge with the bat (24 not out off 14 balls) in the match was enough for a five-spot jump in the ODI all-rounder rankings, moving up to 27th (126 ranking points).

(IANS)