England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has nudged past India opener Smriti Mandhana to sit atop the ICC women’s ODI batting rankings, the first time she has led the list this year.
The all-rounder finished the recent three-match series against India with 160 runs at an average of 53.33. “I try to keep things simple and play the situation,” Sciver-Brunt told Sky Sports after the final ODI. “If that consistency puts me at No. 1, I’ll take it, but the focus is always the next game.”
Mandhana drops to second, though the gap remains slim. India head coach Amol Muzumdar offered a balanced view: “Smriti’s form is still excellent. Rankings move—her job is to keep batting the way she does.”
Harmanpreet Kaur enjoyed the steepest climb, leaping ten places to 11th after an inventive 102 in the decider that sealed India’s 2-1 series win. The captain’s seventh ODI century also carried her beyond 4,000 career runs, a landmark previously reached only by Mithali Raj and Mandhana among Indian women. “Milestones are nice but winning matches matters more,” Harmanpreet said in the post-match press call.
Jemimah Rodrigues, with scores of 48, 3 and 50, moves two spots to 13th. South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt holds third place, while the Australian pair of Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy round out the top five.
Ireland’s recent 2-0 success over Zimbabwe has shaken up the mid-table numbers. Orla Prendergast jumps 12 places to joint-22nd after an unbeaten 67 in Harare and cracks the top ten among all-rounders. Former Ireland captain Isobel Joyce praised the youngster on RTÉ Radio: “Orla has that priceless knack of making things happen with bat and ball.”
Bowling-wise, Sophie Ecclestone remains the benchmark. The left-arm spinner collected five wickets against India, keeping her clear of Ashleigh Gardner, Megan Schutt, Deepti Sharma and Kim Garth. “Sophie keeps tightening the screws—she rarely misses her lengths,” former England spinner Alex Hartley observed on BBC Test Match Special.
Full team and player tables are available on the ICC website.
While rankings shift weekly, the broader trend is unmistakable: depth in women’s cricket is growing. England, India, Australia, South Africa and now Ireland all have batters pushing into the top bracket—a competitive spread that can only benefit the international game.
