New Delhi: South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has ended Smriti Mandhana’s reign at the top of the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings, rising to No. 1 after a record-breaking World Cup campaign in India.
The 25-year-old right-hander was in imperious form throughout the tournament, smashing 571 runs — the highest tally in a single edition of the Women’s World Cup.
Consecutive centuries in the semi-final and final propelled her to a career-best rating of 814 points and a two-place jump to the summit.
Mandhana, who guided India to their maiden World Cup title and featured in the Team of the Tournament, slipped to second with 811 points.
Despite losing the top spot, her consistent match-winning knocks reaffirmed her standing among the global elite.
Australia’s Ellyse Perry climbed into the top 10 following her 77-run effort in the semi-final, sharing seventh place (669) with New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, who recently announced her retirement from ODIs.
India also celebrated new milestones beyond Mandhana’s achievements.
Jemimah Rodrigues broke into the top 10 for the first time after her century against Australia in Navi Mumbai, while young opener Phoebe Litchfield rose 13 places to a career-best 13th (637) following her ton in the same game.
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In the bowling charts, South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp surged to second after her match-winning spell of 5 for 20 against England, narrowing the gap with England’s Sophie Ecclestone, who retains the No. 1 spot.
Australia’s Annabel Sutherland and Kim Garth each moved up a position to sixth and seventh respectively, while India’s Shree Charani jumped seven places to 23rd (511) after key performances in the knockout stages.
All-rounder Deepti Sharma, named Player of the Tournament, climbed to fourth in the ICC all-rounder rankings (392) following her combined haul of seven wickets and 82 runs in the semis and final.
South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk also advanced two spots to 10th (262) after her strong finish to the campaign.
