London [UK], June 2 (ANI): England spinner Linsey Smith has achieved a significant milestone in her cricket career by reaching the top of the ICC Women’s T20I Bowling Rankings for the first time.
Smith, a left-arm spinner, has climbed to No.1 after impressive performances against New Zealand and India. She gained one place to overtake Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal and secure the highest ranking.
This achievement comes after a long journey for Smith, who made her debut in 2018 but only became a regular in England’s T20I team late last year. Her recent success includes being named Player of the Series against New Zealand and contributing to England’s victory over India in Bristol.
Smith’s teammate Lauren Bell also moved up one spot to third, while stand-in captain Charlie Dean improved two places to fifth. Meanwhile, India’s Shree Charani jumped seven spots to fourth after taking three wickets against England.
At the top of the batters’ rankings, Australia’s Georgia Voll remains unchanged. However, other players have made notable progress, including India’s Jemimah Rodrigues, who moved up four places to 11th, and Ireland’s Orla Prendergast, who jumped 10 spots to 16th after an unbeaten 71 against the West Indies.
Bangladesh’s Nigar Sultana Joty and Pakistan’s Muneeba Ali also showed improvement, climbing four and two places respectively in the batters’ rankings. These changes highlight the competitive nature of women’s T20 cricket ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which starts on June 12.