Dubai, Apr 22 (UNI) West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews has returned to the top five of the ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings after leading a stupendous chase against Thailand on the last
day of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Qualifier in Lahore.
Matthews, who was named Player of the Match for her quickfire 70 off 29 that helped her team win
by six wickets with 235 balls to spare, has moved up two spots to fifth position, just one below her career-best fourth position attained at the start of the tournament.
The win though was not enough for the West Indies to qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 to be hosted by India as they finished with a net run rate that was 0.013 short of Bangladesh, the second team to qualify behind hosts Pakistan.
Ireland’s Gaby Lewis returned to the top 20, her knocks of 75 against Thailand and 61 against Scotland lifting her five spots to 17th position while her team-mates Amy Hunter (up seven places
to 27th), Orla Prendergast (up four places to 31st), Laura Delany (up four places to 40th) and Leah Paul (up four places to 42nd) also went up the rankings.
Pakistan’s Sidra Amin has advanced from 23rd to 18th after knocks of 80 against Thailand and 33 against Bangladesh while her team’s opener Muneeba Ali has attained a career-best 30th position. Bangladesh’s Sharmin Akhter has also attained a career-best 21st ranking in the latest weekly update.
In the bowling rankings, left-arm spinners Nahida Akter of Bangladesh and Sadia Iqbal of Pakistan have made notable gains. Nahida, who took four for 40 against Scotland, has progressed two places to 10th while Sadia has jumped five places to 17th position.
Afy Fletcher of the West Indies has attained a career-best-equalling 21st position after hauls of four for 20 versus Thailand and two for 43 against Bangladesh while another leg spinner, Rabeya Khan
of Bangladesh, is up one place behind her in 22nd position, after inching up one slot.
Karishma Ramharack of the West Indies (up five places to 25th), Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana (up five places to 27th) and Diana Baig (up three places to 35th), and Ireland’s Prendergast (up seven places to 43rd) are among the others to move up the charts.
Prendergast and Fatima have also made progress in the all-rounders’ rankings, moving up to 11th and joint-15th positions, respectively.
UNI BM