New No.1 batter after record Cricket World Cup effort

A record Cricket World Cup campaign from Laura Wolvaardt has propelled the South Africa captain to the No.1 spot in the latest ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Wolvaardt overtakes tournament winner Smriti Mandhana in the update, and it took an incredible effort to go to the top, making hundreds in both the Semi-Final and Final in India.

The two innings took Wolvaardt to 571 runs, the most in a single edition of the tournament, and the run was rewarded with a two spot jump to top spot, and a career-high rating of 814.

Mandhana, who held the top spot for the entirety of the World Cup, too was named in the Team of the Tournament, and makes way for Wolvaardt at the top to sit in second (811).

Australia’s Ellyse Perry meanwhile makes a top-ten move to seventh (669) with a knock of 77, sharing the spot with New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, who has announced her retirement from the format.

Jemimah Rodrigues’ match-winning hundred against the Australians in the semi-final in Navi Mumbai meanwhile meant the 25-year-old enters the top ten, while Phoebe Litchfield made a 13-spot jump to a career-high 13th (637) thanks to a century in the same match.

There was marked movement also in the Bowling Rankings, with South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp now the closest to knock Sophie Ecclestone off top spot thanks to her 5/20 against England in the other World Cup semi-final.

Kapp moves two spots to a rating of 712, with Australians Annabel Sutherland (sixth) and Kim Garth (seventh) making one-spot moves in the top 10.

Shree Charani, who claimed three wickets across the two World Cup knockout matches, makes a move of seven spots to 23rd (511).

World Cup Player of the Tournament Deepti Sharma cemented her credentials with seven wickets and 82 runs across the Semi-Final and Final at the tournament, moving her a spot up to fourth in the All-Rounder Rankings (392), overtaking Sutherland (388).

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