Gardner progresses in ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings

Dubai, Dec 20 (Agency) Australia all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has made notable progress in the latest weekly update to the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings after helping her team score a series-clinching seven-run win in the fourth match against India on Saturday.Gardner, who was named Player of the Match for scoring 42 runs and grabbing two for 20, has advanced one place to ninth in the list of batters. Having also taken two for 21 in the preceding match, she has gained nine places to reach 17th in the rankings for bowlers. The 25-year-old isalso up one place to fourth among all-rounders. The latest weekly update, that considers performances in the third and fourth matches of the India-Australia series and the second, third and fourth of the one between the West Indies and England, England batter Sophia Dunkley has progressed 19 places to join-12th among batters after scoring43, 44 and 35 in three matches.Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry has moved up 17 places to 34th after scores of 75 and 72 not out while India’s wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh has gained four places to reach 40th after scoring 40 not out off 19 balls in the fourth T20I against Australia.

England captain Heather Knight (up two places to 31st) and India’s Deepti Sharma (up one place to joint-32nd) are among others to gain.In the rankings for bowlers, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has moved up three places to fourth and also advanced one place to second among all-rounders after grabbing five wickets inthree matches. Leg-spinners Afy Fletcher of the West Indies (up one place to 14th) and AlanaKing of Australia (up 11 places to 27th) have also made notable gains.In the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings, former captain Suzie Bates is up three places to 14thafter scoring a half-century in the abandoned last match of their ICC Women’s Championship series against Bangladesh won 1-0 by New Zealand. Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana has moved up three places to 43rd among batters while New Zealand seam bowler Hannah Rowe is up to 32nd position.