Mithali Raj retains number one spot as Amy Satterthwaite returns to top five in ODI Rankings

Dubai: India skipper Mithali Raj continued to hold on to the number one spot while New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite returned to the top five in the latest ICC women’s ODI rankings for batters released on Tuesday. While skipper Mithali, who has 762 rating points, retained her top spot, opener Smiriti Mandhana was placed seventh. Satterthwaite made her way back into the top five on the back of her unbeaten 79 in the first ODI against England. South Africa opener Lizelle Lee, who had caught up with Mithali last week to share the mantle at the top, has slipped by a position at number 2 - one rating point behind - after missing the final two ODIs against West Indies. England captain Heather Knight also made significant gains. Her match-winning 89 off 107 deliveries against New Zealand helped her enter the top ten, jumping five places to share the ninth spot with Natalie Sciver and Laura Wolvaardt. Veteran Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami moved up a spot to fourth while senior spinner Poonam Yadav remained static on ninth among bowlers. India’s Deepti Sharma moved a rung to be fourth in the all-rounders’ list led by Australia’s Ellyse Perry. In the bowling rankings, the England pair of Sophie Ecclestone and Katherine Brunt climbed up the ladder one position each at sixth and seventh respectively, shifting Ayabonga Khaka of South Africa down to number eight who missed the final two outings of the series against South Africa. Kate Cross snared five wickets in the first two ODIs while Natalie Sciver picked up three. Effectively, Cross moved up two places to 15th and Sciver advanced up three places to 18th.