Mithali Raj claims top spot in ODI rankings

In a huge boost to the women cricket in India, ODI captain Mithali Raj has surpassed Meg Lanning to claim the top spot in ICC rankings.

Lanning missed out on the ODI leg of the ongoing multi-format Women’s Ashes as part of her rehabilitation plan following her shoulder surgery and slipped from first to fourth position.

After the conclusion of the World Cup, Raj trailed Lanning by 10 points and led Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry by 12. While India haven’t played international cricket since the final of the tournament on July 23, Lanning’s absence from the three-match ODI series, which is also Australia’s first ODI assignment in the second cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship, meant she dropped three places. Perry and New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite climbed one place each to claim the second and third spots respectively.

England wicketkeeper-batsman Sarah Taylor, too, made the move up, climbing two places to the 10th rank on the back of the 129 runs she scored in the series.