Jhulan Goswami
Jhulan Goswami. (Photo by Kerry Marshall/Getty Images)

Indian Women’s Cricket team fast bowler Jhulan Goswami has reclaimed the top spot for bowlers in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings. Meanwhile, the tall and lanky pacer was crucial for India during their 2-1 win over England in the recently concluded series. The last time Goswami held the top spot was in February 2017.

Goswami reclaims top spot

The pacer from Bengal took eight wickets in the series to help her side reach the second position in the in the eight-team championship. The championship provides direct qualification berths to hosts New Zealand and four other top teams in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021. Jhulan Goswami, who announced her retirement from the T20Is last year, found his rhythm back in the previous series.

Goswami, the most successful bowler in ODIs with 218 wickets, has inched closer to the record for the most number of days at the top. She has now been number one for 1873 days, with only retired Australia fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick having spent more time at the top, for 2113 days. Moreover, Shikha Pandey jumped 12 spots to finish in the fifth position after returning with eight wickets in the series. Meanwhile, it is the first time in nine years that two Indian bowlers have found themselves in the top five. Rumeli Dhar and Jhulan Goswami found themselves together in the top five in 2010.

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Jhulan Goswami Back at the Helm of ODI Rankings
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Mandhana consolidates her position

On the other hand, the young Indian opener Smriti Mandhana has also strengthened her position at the top of the batting list. She currently has the career-best points of 797 following his good turnouts in the series against England. Also, she is the leading run-scorer in the current edition of the ICC Women’s Championship with 837 runs. For England, Natalie Sciver has jumped ten spots to find herself in the fifth place after finishing as the second highest run-scorer in the series.

Other players jump in the latest rankings update include Australia’s Alyssa Healy (up one place to 15th) and Rachael Haynes (up seven spots to 21st) among batters. Among bowlers, Jess Jonnasen of Australia (up two places to second) and Sophie Ecclestone of England (up four places to 20th) made significant gains.

Batting rankings:

Rank Name Country Points
1 Smriti Mandhana India 797
2 Ellyse Perry Australia 756
3 Amy Satterthwaite New Zealand 755
4 Mithali Raj India 713
5 Natalie Sciver England 695

Bowling Rankings:

Rank Name Country Points
1 Jhulan Goswami India 730
2 Jess Jonassen Australia 723
3 Sana Mir Pakistan 718
4 Megan Schutt Australia 690
5 Shikha Pandey India 688

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