Megan Schutt becomes the No.1 WT20I bowler

The Australians were the biggest gainers at the end of a hectic phase of women’s Twenty20 International action around the world, with Megan Schutt, their right-arm pacer, jumping to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings for bowlers.

Australia were the standout team in the T20I tri-series played in India and topped off a good run of the country where they also swept the ICC Women’s Championship series 3-0 with a title run in the T20Is, also involving England.

Schutt, the Player of the Tournament, finished as the highest wicket-taker, with nine wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 6.28. The performance helped her get to 669 rating points, well ahead of No.2 Leigh Kasperek of New Zealand at 630.

Kasperek, the off-spinner, also had a wonderful series at home against the Windies, picking up 10 wickets in four games as New Zealand won 4-0. That helped her move up seven spots, ahead of Hayley Matthews of the Windies, Jess Jonassen of Australia and India’s Poonam Yadav, who got to a career-best No.5 after shooting up six spots.

Another Indian bowler who has made her way up the rakings list is Jhulan Goswami. The veteran pacer has returned to the top 20, at No.15, after finishing the tri-series with five scalps.

Among batters, Australia captain Meg Lanning has moved up one spot to No.3 after scoring 175 runs in the tri-series, including 88* off 45 balls in the final against England as Australia put up a world-record score of 209/4. Stafanie Taylor, the Windies captain, continues to be No.1 in the chart with New Zealand captain Suzie Bates at No.2.

Australia’s Beth Mooney (No.4) and India’s Smriti Mandhana (No.7) also gained at the end of the tri-series, while Pakistan’s Javeria Khan moved up two places to No.22 after scoring 93 runs in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won 2-1.