Spinner Sadia Iqbal made history by becoming the first Pakistani player to reach the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20I rankings, briefly surpassing England’s long-time number one, left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone.
However, her reign at the top was short-lived, as Ecclestone reclaimed her No. 1 ranking in the weekly update released on Tuesday, according to an ICC press release. Ecclestone began the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the top position, a spot she has held since February 2020. Sadia matched her with 757 rating points after taking three wickets for 17 runs against Sri Lanka in a Group A match on Thursday.
Just two days later, Ecclestone slipped to second place with 750 points after going wicketless against Bangladesh in a Group B match. Sadia’s time at the top was limited to just two days; Ecclestone bounced back with a performance of two wickets for 15 runs against South Africa, earning the Player of the Match award and regaining her position, concluding an exciting head-to-head competition between the two left-arm spinners for the week.
Sadia became only the second Pakistani player to top the women’s rankings, following in the footsteps of former captain Sana Mir, who held the No. 1 spot in the ODI bowling rankings during 2018-2019.
Additionally, there were other significant movements in the rankings following the England-South Africa match, with South African openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits both achieving career-best-equalling rankings after climbing two spots each. Captain Wolvaardt rose to third place after scoring 52 not out against the West Indies and 42 against England, while Brits reached sixth position with scores of 57 not out against the West Indies and 13 against England.
