Latest ICC Rankings Boost Sri Lankan and Pakistani Women Cricketers
DUBAI — Sri Lanka’s experienced captain Chamari Athapaththu played a key role in her side’s series win over Pakistan in the three-match T20I series in Dambulla, hitting aggressive innings of 39 off 22 balls and 40 off 15 balls in the first two matches respectively. Her outstanding performances earned her a one-place rise in the…
DUBAI — Sri Lanka’s experienced captain Chamari Athapaththu played a key role in her side’s series win over Pakistan in the three-match T20I series in Dambulla, hitting aggressive innings of 39 off 22 balls and 40 off 15 balls in the first two matches respectively. Her outstanding performances earned her a one-place rise in the ICC Women’s T20I Batting Rankings, taking her to a career-best 728 rating points.
Her teammate Amashi Delani was the biggest gainer among the batters. Her unbeaten 101 off just 64 balls in the first match helped Sri Lanka secure a six-wicket win, propelling her up 33 places to 23rd on the list.
Pakistani players also saw improvement in their individual rankings. Muneeba Ali scored 42 off 24 balls and 45 off 30 balls in the first two matches, climbing four places to 30th with a career-best 538 rating points.
Sidra Nawaz Zulfiqar was the week’s biggest climber among batters. Following scores of 63 and 48, she jumped an impressive 896 places to reach a career-best 52nd position.
In the ICC Women’s ODI Rankings, Sri Lanka’s 2-1 series win over Pakistan in Hambantota — which secured them the ICC Women’s Championship series — also benefited three of their half-century-scoring batters. Harshitha Samarawickrama climbed four places to a career-best 13th position following her innings of 71 off 92 balls. Chamari Athapaththu moved up three places to 18th after scoring 52 off 38 balls, while Hasini Perera rose two places to 35th with a knock of 50 off 77 balls.
Pakistan’s Gull Feroza, despite the defeat, climbed nine places to break into the top 50 for the first time, reaching 45th position after scoring 40 off 35 balls. Pakistani spinner Nashra Sandhu, who conceded just 23 runs in her full 10 overs, rose three places to re-enter the top 10 in the ICC Women’s ODI Bowling Rankings, claiming 10th spot.
