Dubai, Jan 27 (IANS) Bangladesh’s women cricketers have emerged as the major beneficiaries of the latest T20I rankings, following a string of impressive performances at the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal.
The Asian side remains unbeaten in the tournament and is edging closer to securing qualification for the Women’s T20 World Cup, set to be held in England and Wales later this year. Their dominant run at the qualifier has been underpinned by strong contributions across departments, reflected in notable climbs in the individual rankings.
At the forefront is top-order batter Sharmin Akhter, who has enjoyed a prolific tournament. With 156 runs from four innings, Sharmin is currently the second-highest run-scorer at the qualifier. Her tally includes two half-centuries, coming against the USA and Ireland, and those performances have propelled her 22 places up the T20I batting rankings to joint 35th.
She is not the only Bangladeshi batter to make progress. Sobhana Mostary has also reaped rewards for her consistency, climbing 11 places to joint 52nd after producing four solid innings during the event.
Elsewhere in the batting rankings, Ireland captain Gaby Lewis has moved up one place to joint 15th, while the Netherlands’ batter Sterre Kalis has jumped six positions to 48th following her own strong showing.
Bangladesh’s bowlers have also made significant strides. Off-spinner Rabeya Khan has inched up to 14th in the T20I bowling rankings after claiming seven wickets in her side’s first four matches. Fellow spinner Fahima Khatun has risen six spots to 30th on the same list.
The rankings update also reflects standout performances from other teams at the qualifier. Scotland’s 20-year-old all-rounder Katherine Fraser has surged 17 places to joint 44th among bowlers and leapt an impressive 39 spots to 25th in the all-rounders’ rankings after contributing with both bat and ball. Thailand spinner Sunida Chaturongrattana has also made gains, moving up nine places to joint 46th.
As the qualifier progresses, Bangladesh’s upward momentum on both the field and the rankings table underlines their growing stature in women’s T20 cricket.
–IANS
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