DUBAI – West Indies Women’s 4-0 whitewash of New Zealand in the just-concluded home series of One-Day Internationals (ODIs) has borne immediate fruit.
The hosts have surged to the top of the ICC Women’s Championship table and some players have risen significantly in the Reliance ICC ODI Women’s rankings, which were released yesterday.
The first three matches of the series counted towards the championship.
The victories not only helped the West Indies, losing finalists in the ICC Women’s World Cup in India in 2013, to draw level with New Zealand at seven-all from 15 ODIs, it also put them on top of the table on net run-rate.
World champions Australia also won their matches against Pakistan and are on six points, but West Indies’ convincing victories have put them ahead by +0.35 on net run-rate.
In the player rankings, left-arm spinner Anisa Mohammed made the biggest jump of the West Indies players, climbing seven places to claim a career-high second position.
Mohammed, who became first West Indian woman to take 100 wickets in ODIs, captured 12 wickets in the four-match series, including eight wickets in the three ICC Women’s Championship matches. Her series best was in the second ODI when she bagged four for 32.
The West Indies now boasts the top two-ranked bowlers, with Stafanie Taylor leading the pack. Shanel Daley, in fifth position, is the other West Indies bowler to feature in the Top 10.
Medium-pacers Tremayne Smartt and Shakera Selman are the other notable West Indies bowlers to head in the right direction.
Smartt jumped ten places to 16th position, while Selman rose 17 places to 21st position.
Amongst the batters, Deandra Dottin has returned to the Top 10, rising three places to ninth, after a consistent series in which she scored 176 runs in four matches.
Stafanie Taylor has also gained one place and is now in fourth position, following her 159 runs in the four matches.
The batting table is headed by India captain Mithali Raj, who leads England’s Charlotte Edwards by 12 points.
In the all-rounders’ category, Daley leapfrogged Australia’s Ellyse Perry into second position.
The championship was introduced to create a more extensive and meaningful bilateral playing programme for women’s cricket, with the top four sides qualifying for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017. (WICB)
