Shafali Verma tops the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings after World Cup exploits

According to the latest list released by the International Cricket Council, the Indian opener, Shafali Verma has achieved the top spot in the ICC Twenty20 International (T20I) rankings on Wednesday. The 16-year-old teenager has scored 161 runs in four matches in the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup. She is also the youngest Indian player ever among men’s and women’s cricket to get the first rank in any ICC Player Rankings table.

Shafali Verma tops the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings

Shafali Verma went past New Zealand’s Suzie Bates to top the women’s T20I rankings with 761 points and become the second Indian batter to achieve the milestone after former captain Mithali Raj. She came into the World Cup with 742 points, gained 19 points and is on top with 761 points.

Shafali who comes from Rohtak has achieved the milestone in less than 6 months’ time period. She has so far amassed 485 runs in 18 T20Is at an average of 28.52 with a strike rate of 146.96 including two half-centuries.

India’s opening batter Smriti Mandhana lost two points and slipped to sixth place in the rankings with 701 points. Jemimah Rodrigues, the third Indian in the top-10, also slipped two places to the 9th spot.

Talking about the bowlers, England’s Sophie Ecclestone with eight wickets so far in the Women’s T20 World Cup, grabbed the top spot in the latest ICC rankings that are released on Wednesday. Three Indian bowlers also managed to stay in the top 10 with Deepti Sharma being at the fifth place while Radha Yadav and Poonam Yadav claimed seventh and eighth spots respectively.

New Zealand’s Sophie Devine kept the number one spot in the all-rounder’s list after a poor performance from Australia’s Ellyse Perry in the World Cup.

As far as the Women’s T20 World Cup is concerned, courtesy to Shafali’s explosive batting, India is at the top of the order and has reached the knockout stages where they will face England in the semi-final clash on Thursday. The second semi-final will be played between Australia and South Africa at the same date and venue in a night game.