Sadia Iqbal's Brief Triumph in ICC Women's Rankings

Pakistan's Sadia Iqbal made history by briefly topping the ICC Women's T20I Bowling Rankings, dethroning Sophie Ecclestone. Despite her short reign, she marked a significant achievement for Pakistan. Simultaneously, South African openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits reached career-best rankings following commendable performances in recent matches.

In a historic move, Pakistan spinner Sadia Iqbal ascended to the top of the ICC Women's T20I Bowling Rankings, albeit briefly, marking a significant milestone as the first woman from her country to achieve this position. This came after dethroning longtime frontrunner Sophie Ecclestone, although Iqbal concluded the week in second place following the latest ranking updates released on Tuesday.

Ecclestone had embarked on the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 holding the top position she had maintained since February 2020. Her lead was challenged when Iqbal matched her at 757 rating points after a strong performance with three wickets for 17 runs against Sri Lanka in a Group A clash. Ecclestone, however, experienced a dip to second place with 750 points after a dry match against Bangladesh in Group B. Nonetheless, she swiftly reclaimed her status, taking two wickets for 15 runs against South Africa, securing the Player of the Match, and reaffirming her supremacy among the bowlers.

Sadia's achievement marks her as only the second Pakistani woman to top any ICC women's rankings, following former captain Sana Mir, who led the ODI bowling rankings in the 2018-2019 period. Meanwhile, noticeable changes in rankings followed the England-South Africa match. South African openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits climbed to career-equalling bests, achieving third and sixth places, respectively, due to stellar performances in their recent fixtures.

(With inputs from agencies.)