Dubai, April 7 (IANS) Alana King has reclaimed the No.1 spot in the ICC Women’s ODI bowling rankings following a standout performance during Australia women’s tour of the Caribbean. Her rise comes after a match-winning five-wicket haul in St Kitts.
King, who had briefly taken the top spot in March before slipping behind Sophie Ecclestone again last week, returned in emphatic fashion with exceptional figures of 5-19 in 10 overs at Warner Park in Basseterre. Her spell, which included 44 dot balls, played a key role in Australia’s dominant nine-wicket victory and clean 3-0 series sweep. The performance also boosted her position in the ODI all-rounder rankings, lifting her to seventh and pushing Nat Sciver-Brunt down a place.
Meanwhile, New Zealand players enjoyed a surge in the batting charts after an impressive home series against South Africa. Maddy Green reached a career-best ranking, climbing into the top 10, while Melie Kerr made a significant jump after producing one of the most memorable ODI innings in recent history.
Kerr’s unbeaten 179 at the Basin Reserve powered New Zealand to a record-breaking chase and underlined her exceptional form. The White Ferns captain has been in remarkable touch across formats, delivering consistently with both bat and ball. Over a recent stretch of matches against Zimbabwe and South Africa, she produced outstanding all-round numbers, including a haul of 18 wickets in four ODIs at a strikingly low average, highlighted by a record-setting 7 for 34.
Her T20I form has been equally impressive, contributing with both wickets and a heavy run tally, while maintaining a remarkable streak of consistent scores with the bat. These performances have propelled her to the summit of the ICC Women’s T20I all-rounder rankings and further strengthened her standing in the ODI all-rounder list, where she has now moved ahead of Marizanne Kapp.
Other South African players also made gains, with Chloe Tryon and Sune Luus climbing in the all-rounder rankings after solid contributions. Overall, the latest rankings update reflects a period of dominant individual performances, particularly from Australia’s bowling attack and New Zealand’s multi-dimensional stars.
–IANS
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