India opener Shafali Verma has advanced two slots to sixth place in the ICC Women’s T20I Batting Rankings after scoring a 38-ball 57 in the second T20I in Durban.
The opener smashed two sixes and four fours, but it was not enough to help her side to victory as South Africa won the match by eight wickets. The hosts lead the five-match series 2-0, following their opening six-wicket win at the start of the weekend, with matches moving from Durban to Johannesburg this week.
Verma’s progress has triggered a one-slot move for the West Indies’ skipper Hayley Matthews to third place.
India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur hit an unbeaten 47 from 33 deliveries in match one to be rewarded with a two-slot move to joint 11th.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt is the leading run scorer of the series so far with 105 runs to her name, thanks to knocks of 51 and 54 in the first two matches. She remains steady in fifth place among the batters.
Other movements in the list include Annerie Dercksen and Suné Luus. Dercksen leaped 18 slots to 33rd after hitting an unbeaten 44 in their second encounter, while Luus’ 57 from 46 balls helped her to 35th from last week’s 43rd place and a career-best 508 rating points.
All-rounder Chloe Tryon was unbeaten on 18 in the first match and took three for 22 in the second to climb four slots to joint-11th among the T20I all-rounders, gained one slot to reach 59th in the batters’ list and is up three spots to reach 38th among the bowlers.
Left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba moved to joint-sixth place in the ICC Women’s T20I Bowling Rankings after taking one for 17 in the second match at her home stadium in Kingsmead.
Finally, Ayabonga Khaka has advanced eight places to 25th after taking three wickets for 16 in the opening match, with series’ leading wicket taker Tumi Sekhukhune rocketing 23 slots to 55th after grabbing two for 27 and three for 31.
In the ODI Player Rankings, Bangladesh’s Sharmin Akter’s innings of 86 from 127 balls helped her side register their first-ever ODI victory over Sri Lanka in the opener of the three-match ICC Women’s Championship series in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Her efforts at the venue, which hosted its first-ever international match, are rewarded with a seven-slot climb to 22nd place in the batters’ list and a personal best of 582 ratings points.
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Abbas Ali Baig was the first Indian cricketer to be kissed during a Test match – When Abbas Ali Baig reached a half-century in the third Test match against Australia at the Brabourne Stadium in 1960, a pretty young girl ran all the way from the North Stand to greet the batsman. She kissed Baig on his cheek.