Dubai, July 8: Indian spinner Deepti Sharma stood on the cusp of becoming the number one bowler in the ICC women’s T20I rankings for the first time in her career after moving within eight rating points of the spot by rising to second in the latest list.
Deepti has been inside the top 10 rankings for T20I bowlers for the majority of the last six years, but the 27-year-old has never held the top position “despite the fact she has maintained great consistency in recent times.”
The latest update to the T20I rankings has seen Deepti gain one spot and overtake Australia pacer Annabel Sutherland to regain the second place and the right-armer is now just eight rating points behind Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal at the top of the rankings.
Deepti earned her latest rise on the back of a three-wicket haul in the third game of India’s five-math T20I series against England and the off-spinner could claim top position from her Pakistan rival with some strong performances over the final two contests in the series.
Teammate and pacer Arundhati Reddy is also on the rise, gaining 11 places to jump to equal 43rd on the list for T20I bowlers following her own three-wicket haul in the most recent match of the series against England at The Oval.
There were gains for a host of England bowlers too following their narrow five-run triumph at the iconic London venue, with pacers Issy Wong (up three spots to equal 57th) and Lauren Filer (up 21 rungs to equal 68th) the two biggest risers as fellow quick Lauren Bell maintained fourth spot on the rankings.
Among the batters, Jemimah Rodrigues gained two places to move to 12th overall after she contributed a half-century in the second match of the series in Bristol. (PTI)
