The latest update of the ICC Women’s Player Rankings features the shinning stars of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.
With the league stage of the tournament concluded, the standout performers in the tournament so far have seen movements in the batting, bowling and all-rounder lists, many of which feature players from the semi-finalist teams Australia, South Africa, England and India.
The movements are headlined by Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, who features in the top three of all three lists. She has leaped six slots to second place in the batters’ list, maintains her third-place ranking among the bowlers and remains at the top of the all-rounders’ table.
Gardner’s success in this week’s update follows her unbeaten 104 in Australia’s successful chase of 245 against England after they were 68 for four when she entered the match. Her partner in the unbroken fifth-wicket stand against England, Annabel Sutherland, who finished on 98 not out in that match, has rocketed 16 slots to a career-best 16th place in the ICC Women’s Batting Rankings, up one place to seventh in the ICC Women’s Bowling Rankings and has shifted one spot to fourth place among the all-rounders.
India batting star, Pratika Rawal racked up 308 runs in the league stage of the tournament before she was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after sustaining an ankle injury. She is now a career-best 27th in the batters’ list, rising 12 slots from 39th in the previous week.
England closed the league phase of the tournament with a comfortable, eight-wicket win over New Zealand. Amy Jones (up four places to ninth) and Tammy Beaumont (up seven slots to14th) made significant gains in the batters’ list, while Sophie Ecclestone maintains her position at number one of the bowlers’ list, with Charlie Dean moving up four spaces to 12th and one up in the all-rounders list to 13th.
Australia leg spinner Alana King was in the bowling spotlight with her tournament-record seven for 18 against South Africa. She jumped five slots to a personal-best second place in the bowling rankings.
South African stalwart Marizanne Kapp’s consistency with the ball in hand sees her move one tile to fourth place, while Pakistan’s Nashra Sundhu also moves one space to joint 10th place with Kapp’s teammate, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
Other movements in the Bowling Rankings include New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu, climbing three places to 15th, while India’s Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud and Sree Charani all make seven-slot leaps to 19th, joint 25th and 30threspectively.
England’s Lauren Bell goes up one place to 24th, South Africa’s Masabata Klaas is up four places to 31st and England’s Linsey Smith has rocketed 24 slots to 36th.
Pompeii Unicorn
The unique oval shape of rugby balls can be traced back to their original construction using leather casings and pig’s bladders. These early rugby balls retained the natural oval form of pig bladders, and despite modern manufacturing techniques, the traditional shape has been preserved.
Crash Test
Although cricket is a non-contact sport, players still experience injuries during a game, some of which are career-ending or even fatal. The first known player to have a deadly accident while playing cricket is Jasper Vinall of England. He was hit by a bat on the forehead and died two weeks later.