ICC WT20I Rankings: Bowler Nonkululeko Mlaba climbs to second spot
Emerging South Africa spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba has climbed to the second spot in the ICC Women's T20I Rankings. The 22-year-old delivered a terrific spell against India in a T20I tri-series final. She registered figures worth 2/16 from four overs as South Africa beat India by five wickets. Notably, Mlaba has attained the second spot in the rankings in just 27 matches.
Mlaba kept the Indians at bay
India Women suffered a defeat to SA Women in the T20I Tri-Series final at Buffalo Park in East London. In a low-scoring affair, India Women posted 109/4 in 20 overs. Mlaba dismissed star batters Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues. In response, quality bowling from the Indians kept the scoring in check. However, Chloe Tryon helped her side claim a win with a defining knock.
Mlaba moves to second spot
As stated, Mlaba has moved to the second spot in just 27 matches. She now has 753 rating points. The South African spinner trails only England's Sophie Ecclestone, who owns as many as 763 rating points. India's Deepti Sharma has slipped to third and now has 741 points. Sarah Glenn (726) and Megan Schutt (700) complete the top five of this list.
Mlaba averages 21.86
Mlaba made her WT20I debut against India in September 2019. In a career spanning over three years, the left-arm spinner has taken 22 wickets at an incredible average of 21.86. She has restricted the opposition to 5.71 runs an over.
Sneh Rana moves to sixth spot
India's Sneh Rana has moved to the sixth spot in the bowling rankings. She gained four spots after claiming figures of 2/21 in the tri-series final against South Africa. Meanwhile, Renuka Singh is the only other Indian in the top 10.
What about the batting rankings?
South African youngster Laura Wolvaardt broke out of the top 10 in the batting rankings after failing to score in tri-series final. Mandhana and Shafali Verma retain their third and eighth spots, respectively. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur is placed 11th. Meanwhile, the Australian duo of Tahlia McGrath and Beth Mooney continue to hold their first and second spots, respectively.
