Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday Nov 15, 2024
Tuesday, 16 October 2018 00:55 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The International Cricket Council today launched the global MRF Tyres ICC women’s T20I team rankings as it continues to drive the growth of the game through the shortest format.
Australia tops both lists as ICC introduces separate rankings for ODIs and T20Is in keeping in line with men’s rankings
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The new rankings will provide incentive for teams to play regularly and mark their progress globally. I wish the teams all the best.”
Captains Meg Lanning of Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur of India, and Kathryn Bryce of Scotland were among those to laud the new system.
Three-time ICC women’s world Twenty20 champions Australia lead the inaugural 46-team table, which follows the decision earlier this year to award international status to all T20 matches between member countries. Scotland are the top ranked associate member in 11th, while Thailand take 12th place in the first table , following some good performances of late, including a win over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup earlier this year.
All women’s T20 matches between members have international status since the Asia Cup in June and the new rankings system will help teams gauge where they stand in the shortest format of the game. Teams should have played six T20I matches in the previous three to four years to remain on the rankings table.
The system moves away from the combined rankings in place earlier and there is now a separate MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Team Rankings table with 10 teams, in line with the men’s rankings, which are separate for each format.
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “We are committed to growing the game and T20 is the vehicle through which we’ll do this. Global rankings and international status for all T20 games between members is a huge step forward and will contribute to our efforts to accelerate the growth of the women’s game.”
Australia, who were top-ranked in the combined rankings system, are now ranked number one in both forms of the game, and rivals New Zealand by three points in the T20I rankings table. Australia are on 280 points, New Zealand on 277 while England are just one point behind with 276 points.
Australia will, however, have to win their upcoming three-match T20I series from 25 to 29 October against Pakistan in Malaysia by a 3-0 margin to retain their top ranking. Pakistan will be unable to overtake sixth-ranked South Africa even if they pull off a shock 3-0 win.
The Windies, who will defend their ICC Women’s World T20 title at home from 9-24 November, are ranked fourth with 259 points and India are a further 10 points behind in fifth place. The next five teams on the table – South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Ireland – complete the line-up for the West Indies event.
The list includes nine sides from Europe, 14 from Asia, 13 from Africa, and four each from East Asia Pacific and the Americas, apart from Australia and the West Indies.
MRF Tyres ICC women’s T20I team rankings (as of 12 October)
Rank Team Points
1 Australia – 280
2 New Zealand – 277
3 England – 276
4 West Indies – 259
5 India – 249
6 South Africa – 243
7 Pakistan – 227
8 Sri Lanka – 207
9 Bangladesh – 193
10 Ireland – 188
