ICC Rankings: Shikha Pandey Enters Top 10 ODI Bowlers, Shafali Verma Retains No.1 T20I Batsman Position

Senior India pacer, Shikha Pandey has entered the top 10 ICC ODI bowlers in the recently announced rankings. Interestingly, Shikha Pandey hasn’t played any ODI match since November 2019- she was, in words of Harmanpreet Kaur “not dropped” but rested for the home ODI and T20I matches against South Africa.

It came as a surprise that the senior bowling all-rounder was missing from the South Africa series as it was India’s first international assignment after a year, since the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Melbourne last year.

Shikha Pandey moved to the 10th position; England’s Anya Shrubsole and India’s Deepti Sharma moved up to the 11th and 12th spot respectively as New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr dropped points. Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav is at the 8th position in the ODI bowler’s rankings, the chart which is led by Australian spinner, Jess Jonassen, and followed by compatriot, Megan Schutt.

Opener Smriti Mandhana and skipper Mithali Raj retained their 7th and 8th position in the batters rankings so did Jhulan Goswami and Poonam Yadav sitting at the 5th and 8th spot amongst the bowlers.

Shafali Verma continues as the top T20I batsman

17-year-old opener Shafali Verma strengthed her numero uno spot in the T20I rankings by blasting 60 runs off 30 balls in the third T20I against the Proteas. The opener now has 776 points, well ahead of the second-placed Beth Mooney with 744. Her opening partner, Smriti Mandhana has risen to 4th place in the T20I rankings, while Jemimah Rodriques is at 9th.

All-rounder Deepti Sharma gained points in the T20I series and moved up to the 3rd spot amongst the all-rounders. Sharma is also at the 6th position in the bowler’s rankings, followed by teammate Radha Yadav.

Alyssa Healy’s knock of 65 runs in the first ODI against New Zeland, in Australia’s historic win, takes her to third on the ODI batters tally, led by Tammy Beaumont. The Australia women’s team set a world record of 22 ODI wins on the trot – surpassing that of Ricky Ponting’s side which had 21 consecutive wins in 2003. Superstar all-rounder Ellyse Perry maintained her dominance in world cricket – she is the top ODI all-rounder, 6th bowler, and 9th batter.

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