Mandhana, Athapaththu, move up in ICC Women’s T20I Batting Rankings

Left-handed openers Smriti Mandhana of India and Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka have progressed in the ICC Women’s T20I Batting Rankings after some fine performances over the past week in the Women’s Asia Cup played in Dambulla.

Mandhana has progressed one spot to take fourth position after scores of 55 not out against Bangladesh in the semifinal and 60 against Sri Lanka in the final, two places shy of her career-best second position. Athapaththu scored 49 not out against Bangladesh, 63 against Pakistan in the semifinal and a match-winning 61 off 43 in the final to grab a career best-equalling sixth position.

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana has moved up three spots to 14^th position, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues is up one place to 18^th while Sri Lanka’s Harshita Samarawickrama is back in the top 20 after her Player of the Match effort of 69 not out in the final of the Asia Cup.

Wicketkeepers Muneeba Ali of Pakistan (up six places to 35^th) and Nannapat Koncharoenkai of Thailand (up three places to 37^th) have also made notable gains while Aliya Riyaz of Pakistan (up two places to 52nd) and Theertha Satish of the United Arab Emirates (up four places to 60^th) are among the others to move up the rankings.

In the bowling rankings, Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal has moved up one slot to fourth after finishing with four wickets in the semifinal against Sri Lanka while India’s new-ball bowler Renuka Singh is back in the top five following a three-wicket haul against Bangladesh in the other semifinal.

Radha Yadav of India (up seven places to 13th), Udeshika Prabhodhani (up six places to 24^th), Sugandhika Kumari (up four places to 27^th) and Kavisha Dilhari (up five places to 30^th) of Sri Lanka are among the others to move up the bowling rankings.

Dilhari has also moved up 19 places to 96^th among batters and advanced 10 places to 17^th among all-rounders.