On the back of some sensational performances in the recently concluded Women’s World Cup which saw hosts England lift the World Cup for the 4th time in their history, Punjab’s wonder girl Harmanpreet Kaur has broken in to the top 10 of the ICC Women’s rankings for batswomen and will look to keep up the good work.
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She moved up to the 6th spot after a stellar performance against the six-time champions Australia in the semi-final followed by a half-century against England in the final. She gained seven slots to move up to the 6th position in the latest rankings.
Besides her, Captain Mithali Raj is the only other Indian in the top 10. She is currently at No.2 just behind the Aussie captain Meg Lanning while Ellyse Perry is at the 3rd position.
Harmanpreet literally tormented the Aussie bowlers during her whirlwind knock of 171* of 115 deliveries in the semi-final. It was carnage at the Derby, as Harmanpreet kept on depositing the Aussie bowlers to different parts of the ground and smashed a whopping 20 fours and seven huge sixes. It was one of the greatest World Cup knocks including the Men’s World Cup as well and her unbeaten knock enabled India to post a daunting 281 on the board in just 42 overs.
She played well for a half-century in the finals and just when she started flexing her muscles, she was holed out in the deep while attempting a big shot. Apart from Harman, Punam Raut also gained five slots to move up to the 14th position after a well crafty 86 in the final. Veda Krishnamurthy also reached a career best 26th position following scores of 36 in the final and an unbeaten 16 in the semi-final.
Veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami moved up to the 2nd spot in the ICC rankings for bowlers following a sensational spell of fast bowling in the final which saw her finishing with figures of 3/23 in 10 overs. She also bagged two wickets in the semi-final clash against the Aussies. Shikha Pandey, Goswami’s partner gained a place to moved up to the 12th position while leggie Poonam Yadav gained sixes places to a career best 28th.
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