Mandhana slips to second as Sciver-Brunt returns top position in ICC Women's ODI rankings

Dubai, July 29 (IANS) Despite India clinching a 2-1 ODI series win against England, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has dropped one place to No. 2 in the latest ICC Women’s ODI batters rankings.

Dubai, July 29 (IANS) Despite India clinching a 2-1 ODI series win against England, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has dropped one place to No. 2 in the latest ICC Women’s ODI batters rankings.England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt reclaimed the No.1 spot among ODI batters, riding on a superb 98 off 105 balls in the final match of the series. Sciver-Brunt’s 160 runs in the series proved decisive in her leap to the top, despite England falling short in the series decider at Chester-le-Street.

Mandhana, who scored 115 runs across the three matches, slipped a spot after briefly holding the top position. However, the rankings update brought better news for Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who surged 10 places to 11th, after her composed middle-order contributions.

Jemimah Rodrigues also inched up two spots to 13th, rounding off a strong showing from India's core batting group during the England tour.

The rankings update also reflected gains for bowlers. England’s Sophie Ecclestone maintained her place at the top among ODI bowlers, followed by Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner. However, Ireland's Orla Prendergast was the standout name across all departments.

The 22-year-old Irish all-rounder had a series to remember against Zimbabwe, scoring an unbeaten 67 in the second ODI in Belfast. That effort catapulted her 12 places up to joint 22nd in the ODI batting charts.

She also rose 10 places to 33rd among bowlers after a tight spell in the same game. Prendergast’s all-round excellence saw her break into the top 10 among ODI all-rounders for the first time, now ranked No.10.

Ireland's Arlene Kelly also climbed four spots to equal 30th among bowlers, while Gaby Lewis, the team’s T20I captain, jumped four places to 14th among T20I batters after a pair of half-centuries against Zimbabwe.

--IANS

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