Claire Taylor and Isa Guha lead England’s charge in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings which were launched in Mumbai on Thursday.
Taylor, who was shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award in 2006, 2007 and 2008, heads the batting listing that includes six England batters in the top 20 while second-placed 23-year-old fast bowler Guha leads the parade of five England bowlers in the top 20.
The England players’ domination of the women’s rankings is also a reflection of its outstanding performance this summer in which it remained unbeaten against the West Indies, South Africa and India.
Taylor, the right-handed batter, is one of the 13 female cricketers to have played 100 or more ODIs and is the only player above the 800 ratings points mark. In women’s ranking terms, 800 points marks out a player as truly remarkable.
Taylor said: “To be number one batsman in the world means a lot to me. It’s something that I've been aiming for since the World Cup in 2000, the point where I really thought I could have an impact on the game.
“However, it’s not the most important thing this year. There are personal battles to be fought against great rivals, a World Cup to contest and perhaps win and an Ashes duel to finish off what promises to be an amazing 12 months.”
Other England batters in the top 20 include Sarah Taylor (fourth), ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2008 Charlotte Edwards (fifth), Lydia Greenway (14th), Jenny Gunn (16th) and Caroline Atkins (17th).
Guha in second place is breathing down the neck of India captain Jhulan Goswami but leads Australia’s Shelly Nitschke by a comfortable margin. The fast bowler is just 14 wickets short of becoming the fifth bowler to take 100 or more ODI wickets.
Nineteen-year-old left-arm spinner Holly Colvin sits in fourth place after she finished as the leading wicket-taker against India with nine wickets while Jenny Gunn is fifth, Katherine Brunt is ninth and Nicky Shaw is 15th.
Gunn, the 22-year-old right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler, is the highest-ranked England all-rounder in fifth place.
About Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings and women’s cricket
The rankings have been introduced as part of the ICC’s continued promotion of women’s cricket. They will initially apply to ODI cricket only and will help identify where the leading players stand in women’s international cricket to add further competition and context to their achievements.
The first set of the rankings have been released ahead of the eagerly awaited series between Australia and India to be played in Sydney and Canberra from 31 October to 9 November.
The other series to be played in the lead-up to the ICC Women’s World Cup in March 2009 include the five-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Sri Lanka from 5 November to 12 November and the traditional Rose Bowl series between New Zealand and Australia in New Zealand from 1 to 12 February.
Next year will be huge for women’s cricket with the ICC Women’s World Cup to be played in Sydney, Australia, from 7 to 22 March. This will be the first time the biggest event in women’s cricket will be played under the banner of the ICC following the merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council in 2005.
Then in June, the ICC World Twenty20 in England will include a men’s and women’s competition running simultaneously. The semi-finals and final of the women’s event will be played at the same venue on the same day as the men’s tournament.
Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s Rankings (as of 16 October)
Batters
Rank Player Team Points Ave HS Rating
1 Claire Taylor Eng 804 39.13 820 v NZ at Blackpool 2007
2 Mithali Raj Ind 728 47.93 827 v Aus at Baroda Vadodar 2004
3 Lisa Sthalekar Aus 722 35.47 783 v NZ at Darwin 2007
4 Sarah Taylor Eng 699* 40.11 706 v Ind at Taunton 2008
5 C.M.Edwards Eng 658 37.05 694 v SA at Pretoria 2005
6 Nicola Browne NZ 653! 30.21 653 v Aus at Lincoln 2008
7 Karen Rolton Aus 620 49.54 867 v Ind at Vapi 2004
8 Alex Blackwell Aus 597! 30.46 597 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
9 S.Nitschke Aus 573*! 25.85 573 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
10 Sara McGlashen NZ 568 23.09 584 v Eng at Derby 2007
11 Haidee Tiffen NZ 557 29.50 764 v Ind at Lincoln 2006
12 Aimee Mason NZ 549 22.20 616 v Eng at Blackpool 2007
13 Jaya Sharma Ind 516 31.92 686 v Aus at Vapi 2004
14 Lydia Greenway Eng 489 22.55 512 v Aus at Sydney 2008
15 Anjum Chopra Ind 478 34.71 749 v Aus at Adelaide 2006
16 Jenny Gunn Eng 472 22.37 543 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
17= Dedunu Silva SL 468* 20.14 479 v Ind at Kurunegala 2008
Caroline Atkins Eng 468* 28.46 476 v Ind at Taunton 2008
19 Cri-Zelda Brits SA 466* 29.24 531 v NET at Stellenbosch 2008
20 Caitriona Beggs Ire 460 24.83 551 v NET at Dublin 2006
Bowlers
Rank Player Team Points Ave Econ HS Rating
1 Jhulan Goswami Ind 741 21.06 797 v Eng at Chennai 2007
2 Isa Guha Eng 720 18.43 741 v Ind at Taunton 2008
3 S.Nitschke Aus 675*! 22.27 675 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
4 Holly Colvin Eng 619* 19.90 632 v Ind at Arundel 2008
5 Jenny Gunn Eng 593 31.22 673 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
6 Emma Sampson Aus 548*! 25.17 548 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
7 Aimee Mason NZ 547 32.90 586 v Aus at Darwin 2007
8 Nicola Browne NZ 546 33.75 648 v Eng at Shenley 2007
9= Lisa Sthalekar Aus 545 29.10 602 v NZ at Brisbane 2006
Katherine Brunt Eng 545* 26.33 560 v Ind at Taunton 2008
11 Kirsten Pike Aus 540* 22.56 567 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
12 Rumeli Dhar Ind 534* 31.50 610 v SL at Dambulla 2008
13 Amita Sharma Ind 523 29.12 650 v Pak at Karachi 2005
14 Neetu David Ind 506 16.34 794 v WI at Pretoria 2005
15 Nicky Shaw Eng 502* 32.93 517 v Ind at Taunton 2008
16 Alicia Smith SA 494* 22.10 538 v Ire at Crowthorne 2008
17 Sajida Shah Pak 491* 26.48 499 v NET at Stellenbosch 2008
18= Ashlyn Kilowan SA 483*! 20.16 483 v Eng at Shenley 2008
Sarah Andrews Aus 483*! 21.62 483 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
20 Sophie Devine NZ 468*! 37.42 468 v Aus at Lincoln 2008
All-rounders
Rank Player Team Points HS Rating
1 Lisa Sthalekar Aus 393 466 v Eng at Chennai 2007
2 S.Nitschke Aus 387*/*! 387 v NZ at Lincoln 2008
3 Nicola Browne NZ 357 383 v Eng at Lincoln 2008
4 Aimee Mason NZ 300 338 v Eng at Blackpool 2007
5 Jenny Gunn Eng 280 364 v Aus at Melbourne 2008
*indicates provisional rating
!indicates career-highest rating
