Brunt, Mandhana and Aththapathu leap up as ICC releases updated women's ODI rankings

The latest update in the ICC rankings for women's ODIs saw some drastic changes wherein while some players rose through the ranks, others slipped a bit. 

Veteran English pacer Katherine Brunt, who recently bid adieu to Tests, is back among the top ten in the bowlers' rankings. 

Brunt's inclusion in the top ten can be attributed to her impressive three-for in the series opener against South Africa earlier this week. 

Meanwhile, star Indian opener Smriti Mandhana climbed to ninth in the ODI batter's list. 

The southpaw put up a string of decent performances in the recent limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. She scored 104 runs in three outings, which included two 50+ scores. 

However, Mandhana isn't the only Indian batter to have risen up the ranks, as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and youngster Shafali Verma also climbed up the table. 

Kaur, who scored 119 runs and picked up two wickets against Sri Lanka, moved up four spots in the all-rounders' rankings to No. 20. Shafali, on the other hand, moved up three positions to reach no.33. 

Among other Indians, the left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad took a step up to the ninth place, whereas Meghna Singh climbed four spots up to 43 in the bowlers' rankings. 

Gayakwad impressed everyone with her wicket-taking skills and surreal economy in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka, which earned her the promotion. 

Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu rose to her joint career-best position at no.8, which she last attained after slamming 178 against a potent Australian attack in the 2017 World Cup. 

Among other Sri Lankans, Nilakshi de Silva moved up three positions to get to no. 47. Inoka Ranaweera leaped up five places to occupy the 16th position in the bowlers' rankings. 

South African hard-hitting batter Chloe Tryon emerged with the promotion of twelve spots, thanks to her 73-ball-88 in the first ODI against England. However, her position may vary as two more ODIs are left in the series. 

Among the newcomers, centurion Emma Lamb shot up 76 places to 101 after she led England in their victorious chase with her maiden century.