Dubai, June 2 (IANS) England’s left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who was fighting for a regular place in her side’s T20I setup less than two years ago, has now climbed to the summit of the ICC Women’s T20I Bowling Rankings for the first time in her career on the eve of the Women’s T20 World Cup.

The 31-year-old England spinner moved ahead of Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal to become the world’s top-ranked T20I bowler following a string of impressive performances against New Zealand and India. Smith’s rise comes after a standout Player of the Series display against the White Ferns and another influential outing in England’s recent victory over India in Bristol.

The achievement caps a remarkable journey for Smith, who made her international debut in 2018 before spending several years on the fringes of the national side. Having re-established herself as a regular member of England’s T20I squad only late last year, she now enters the World Cup as the highest-ranked bowler in the format.

England’s strong run has also been reflected elsewhere in the bowling charts. Fast bowler Lauren Bell climbed one place to third, while stand-in captain Charlie Dean gained two spots to move into fifth position.

India’s emerging spinner Shree Charani was among the biggest movers in the latest update. Her three-wicket performance against England helped her leap seven places to fourth, underlining the increasingly competitive nature of the rankings. With only 39 rating points separating the top 10 bowlers, the race for supremacy remains wide open heading into the World Cup.

In the batting rankings, Australia opener Georgia Voll retained her position at the top, though several players outside the top 10 made significant gains.

India’s Jemimah Rodrigues rose four places to share the 11th spot after a productive run with the bat, while Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast surged 10 positions to joint 16th. Prendergast’s rise follows her match-winning unbeaten 71 against the West Indies in Dublin, an innings that also helped propel Ireland to a historic victory. The Irish star enjoyed further success in the all-rounders’ rankings, moving up one place to sixth.

Elsewhere, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty continued her upward trajectory by climbing four places to 20th among batters, while Pakistan opener Muneeba Ali improved two spots to share 32nd position.

With the Women’s T20 World Cup set to begin on June 12, the latest rankings offer an indication of the form players are carrying into the tournament and suggest the battle for individual honours could be just as compelling as the race for the trophy itself.

–IANS

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