“Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Thakur Rise in ICC T20I Rankings After Asia Cup”

In the latest ICC T20I rankings released on Tuesday, India’s Smriti Mandhana has climbed to fourth place among batters, while seamer Renuka Singh Thakur has risen to fifth among bowlers. Mandhana, who scored a crucial 60 in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, moved up one spot to fourth with 743 rating points. Renuka, who took seven wickets during the tournament, advanced four positions to reach fifth with 722 rating points.

Renuka trails behind England’s Sophie Ecclestone (772) and Sarah Glenn (760), who occupy the top two spots, as well as India’s Deepti Sharma (755) in third, and Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal (743), who moved up to fourth.

Radha Yadav, who was the fifth highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup with six wickets, climbed seven spots to 13th place.

Australia’s Beth Mooney (769) and Tahlia McGrath (762) remain the top two batters, with West Indies’ Hayley Matthews (746) in third and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt in sixth.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu made the biggest gain, moving up three places to sixth with 705 points, following her Player of the Tournament performance in the Asia Cup final, where she scored 61 against India. “Chamari Athapaththu achieved a career-best ranking following her exceptional performance at the Asia Cup, including 304 runs at an average above 100,” the ICC stated.

After the Asia Cup, Pakistan’s Muneeba Ali moved up six places to 35th in the T20I batting rankings, and Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana rose three spots to 14th. Sri Lanka’s Harshitha Samarawickrama also climbed to 20th place after scoring 69 not out in the final.