Sports Bulletin Report
Dubai (UAE): Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has moved up all three lists in the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings after a fine run with both bat and bowl in the first two matches of their ICC Women’s Championship series against Bangladesh in Mirpur.
Gardner, who scored 52 runs and grabbed five wickets in the two matches, has moved up five spots to 17th in the batting rankings, entered the top five in the bowling rankings and advanced from sixth to second position in the rankings for all-rounders.
In other notable movements, fast bowler Megan Schutt has inched up to second position among bowlers, left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux has re-entered the bowling rankings in joint-69th position after her match-winning three-wicket haul in the second ODI and Alana King has moved up 19 spots to 58th among batters after smashing an unbeaten 46 in the first match.
Annabel Sutherland (up five places to 38th among batters) and Ellyse Perry (up six places to joint-52nd among bowlers) have also gained in the latest weekly update.
Bangladesh left-arm spinner Nahida Akter, who returned figures of two for 27 in the first match, has entered the top 10 for the first time. Her previous best was 12th position, which she had attained in December last year. Nahida is presently ranked 25th in T20Is but had a career-high third position in July 2018.
Off-spinner Sultana Khatun has moved up six places to be joint-52nd with Perry after finishing with three wickets in the two matches. The two wins have helped Australia consolidate their position at the top of the Women’s Championship points table. They are now on 26 points from 17 matches while South Africa are second with 20 points from 15 matches. The full standings are available here.
Meanwhile, in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, England captain Heather Knight has moved up five slots to 23rd position among batters after scoring 129 runs in the first three matches of the ongoing series against New Zealand, which England lead 2-1.
Maia Bouchier’s 126 runs in the three matches have lifted her 43 places to 53rd position while New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr is up three places to 11th. In the bowling rankings, Sarah Glenn (up two places to second), Charlotte Dean (up eight places to 11th) and Lauren Bell (up 15 places to 18th) have all progressed.
