India’s teenage prodigy Shafali Verma has been replaced by Australia’s Beth Mooney at the top of the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings for batters. Mooney achieved the feat after her 78 off 54 helped Australia to their fifth T20 World Cup on Sunday.
The southpaw, who scored 259 runs at an average of 64 in six innings, also became the Player of the Tournament. It is worth noting that Mooney has topped the rankings for the first time, having reached number two in March 2018.
Shafali, meanwhile, slipped to the third spot after scoring just 2 in Sunday’s finale at the MCG. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates remains in second position in the latest update carried out after the knockout stage.
Mooney’s opening partner Alyssa Healy has made a jump of two slots to fifth position after a blistering 39-ball 75 in the final against India while South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt has advanced 13 slots to reach a career-best 31st place after a valiant 27-ball 41 in their semifinal against Australia.
Shafali’s opening partner Smriti Mandhana, who was not in great knick in the just concluded tournament, also slipped by a spot and is currently at the seventh position.
Talking about 16-year-old Shafali, the swashbuckling opener was India’s gem in the just-concluded mega event with the scores of 29 off 15, 39 off 17, 46 off 34 balls and 47 off 34. But the attacking opener fell prey to Megan Schutt on Sunday’s finale in just the third ball of her innings to end her campaign on a sad note.
(With inputs from IANS)