Dubai, July 1 (IANS) India’s stand-in skipper Smriti Mandhana has registered a huge gain in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings as she surged to a new career-best rating following her century against England.

Mandhana smashed an electrifying 62-ball 112 runs to set up an emphatic 97-run victory, which saw her rise one slot to third place and a career-best 771 ratings points, and close to within 23 points of No.1 ranked player Beth Mooney at the top of the charts for T20I batters.

With India set for a busy calendar ahead, Mandhana now has a golden opportunity to claim the top ranking across both white-ball formats.

Mandhana’s opening partner Shafali Verma also made a gain in the batting chart, moving up to 13th after contributing 20 runs in the same match. Meanwhile, Harleen Deol’s quickfire knock of 43 saw her re-enter the batter rankings in equal 86th position.

England’s pace spearhead Lauren Bell was another big mover on the rankings chart. Bell’s impressive three-wicket haul in Nottingham helped her climb two places to a career-high fourth on the T20I bowlers list.

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is another one to gain in the latest weekly update after top-scoring for her team with 66 off 42 deliveries. She has gained 20 rating points to reach a career-best aggregate of 663 while retaining the ninth position.

At the top of the T20I bowling rankings, Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal remains the No. 1-ranked bowler. But the race is heating up, with just 44 rating points separating the top 10 players. India’s Shree Charani, who took four wickets on debut to enter the rankings in 450th position.

The recently concluded T20I series between the West Indies and South Africa also brought good news for several Proteas players. Rising star Miane Smit leaped into 76th place in the T20I batter rankings after her impressive half-century in the final match at Cave Hill, while former skipper Sune Luus surged nine places to 31st among T20I all-rounders thanks to a solid all-round display.

–IANS

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