Dubai, April 7 – Australian leg-spinner Alana King regained the top spot in the ICC Women’s ODI Bowling Rankings within four days of losing it, as she took a remarkable five for 19 to overtake England spinner Sophie Ecclestone and move up in the rankings.
King's performance, along with Phoebe Litchfield's unbeaten 68 (56 balls), helped Australia to a nine-wicket win and a 3-0 series victory over the West Indies.
Litchfield's unbeaten partnership of 87 runs with Ellyse Perry (33 off 40 balls) saw her maintain her fifth position in the ODI Batting Rankings, but she surpassed the 700 rating points mark for the first time. Perry's contribution moved her up two positions, allowing her to re-enter the top 10 from 12th place last week.
In Wellington, New Zealand captain Amelia Kerr smashed an unbeaten 179 off 139 balls to help her side achieve a record-breaking chase of 350 for eight in the second ODI against South Africa. Her performance lifted her six positions to joint 14th place in the ODI Batting Rankings alongside Pakistan's Sidra Amin.
In their successful series decider, the White Ferns' Maddy Green was the architect of her team's success, scoring an unbeaten 141 off 128 balls to beat the Proteas by 66 runs. Her performance advanced her four positions to a career-best ninth place in the batters' list, her first appearance in the top 10, the ICC said in a release on Tuesday.
Finally, South Africa's Ayabonga Khaka, the leading wicket-taker of the series, has jumped five places to number 12.
New Zealand, who bounced back from their opening loss to take their ICC Women's Championship series against South Africa 2-1, have taken the top position in the table with 10 points from six matches.
The Proteas are currently in third place, having won three and lost three of their six matches to date, while Australia have completed an unbeaten tour of the West Indies with a nine-wicket victory in the final ODI in St. Kitts to occupy second place with a 100% record from their three matches.
The West Indies are currently in sixth place with just one win from the six matches they have played so far. With four teams yet to play in the tournament, they might be feeling some pressure, as only the top seven-ranked teams plus the hosts qualify automatically for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2029.