Sophie Ecclestone Regains No.1 ICC Women’s ODI Bowling Rank as Alana King Drops

In a bustling week of international women’s cricket, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone has surged back to the pinnacle of the ICC Women’s ODI Bowling Rankings, reclaiming her throne from Australia’s Alana King without bowling a single delivery.

Sophie Ecclestone Regains No.1 ICC Women's ODI Bowling Rank as Alana King Drops
Sophie Ecclestone Regains No.1 ICC Women’s ODI Bowling Rank as Alana King Drops

This shift highlights the cut-throat competition in the 50-over format, as teams gear up for the 10th ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5, 2026. Action-packed series like New Zealand’s 4-1 T20I triumph over South Africa, followed by SA’s thrilling 2-wicket win in the 1st ODI of their ongoing three-match series, leading 1-0 and Australia’s dominant whitewash, 3-0 in T20Is and a 90-run rout in the 2nd ODI against West Indies on March 29, sealing their three-match ODI series with a game to go.

These updates have reshaped the leaderboards. With rising stars like New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt clashing, and Australia’s Sophie Molineux testing West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews, these results signal fierce momentum building toward the global showdown.

Batting Rankings:

The batting charts saw measured movement, with Australia’s prodigious opener Phoebe Litchfield climbing one place to fifth on the back of consistent firepower in the West Indies series. Her ascent underscores Australia’s ODI series dominance, where they crushed the hosts by 90 runs in the second match. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Maddy Green (85 off 83 balls) vaulted four spots to 13th, her timely contributions in the ongoing ODI leg against South Africa, despite NZ’s T20I series win, adding depth to the White Ferns’ lineup.

These shifts reflect how bilateral battles are honing top-order resilience ahead of the T20 World Cup. England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt has climbed up one spot to the 4th position (714 points). India’s Jemimah Rodrigues climbed up a couple of spots to the 10th position (635 points). England’s Amy Jones has climbed up a couple of spots to the 11th position (634 points). Sri Lanka’s Nilakshika Silva climbed up a couple of spots to the 23rd position (581 points).

South Africa’s Sune Luus scored a brilliant half-century, 53 (72 balls) in the 1st ODI. As a result, she has climbed up four spots to 27th position (563 points). The experienced veteran West Indian all-rounder Stafanie Taylor has been one of the standout performers with the bat for her side in the ODI series against Australia. As a result, she has earned a massive rise as she climbs up 10 spots to equal the 28th position (562 points) alongside Ireland’s Amy Hunter.

South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk scored a crucial knock of 39 runs in the opening game of the ODI series. As a result, she has climbed up three spots to the 35th position (525 points). Sri Lanka’s Hasini Perera has climbed up a couple of spots to the 41st position (477 points). South Africa’s Annerie Dercksen scored a fantastic half-century, 72 (93 balls) in the first ODI. As a result, she has climbed up 9 spots to the 42nd position (475 points).

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Chinelle Henry from the West Indies has climbed up 4 spots to the 55th position (427 points). The White Ferns duo of Isabella Gaze and Georgia Plimmer has climbed up three spots each to the 58th (409 points) and 61st (396 points) positions, respectively.

Australia’s Georgia Wareham has scored 81 runs in a couple of innings at a strike rate of 139.65 and an average of 40.50 in a couple of innings with the ball for her side in the series, currently the 2nd highest run-scorer for her side and the 3rd highest run-scorer of the series so far. As a result, she has climbed up 11 spots to equal the 66th position (376 points) alongside Scotland’s Sarah Bryce. Australia’s Alana King has climbed up a couple of spots to the 69th position (374 points). Qiana Joseph has scored 41 runs in a couple of innings with the bat. As a result, she has climbed up three spots to the 73rd position (349 points). South Africa’s Sinalo Jafta has climbed up one spot to the 82nd position (313 points).

Australia’s Nicola Carey has scored 79 runs in a couple of innings with the bat for her side so far. As a result, she has earned a significant rise as she has climbed up 27 spots to the 91st position (297 points).

Bowling Rankings:

Bowling stole the spotlight, as Ecclestone’s inactive week ironically propelled her past Alana King back to number one, thanks to King leaking rating points across Australia’s first two ODIs against the West Indies. King slips to second, but the real drama unfolded lower down: West Indies captain Hayley Matthews rocketed two places to fourth with her all-action spells, while New Zealand skipper Amelia Kerr mirrored the surge, jumping two spots to ninth amid her side’s 4-1 T20I series victory and the ongoing ODI challenge from South Africa. These climbs emphasise spin’s growing edge in ODIs, with Ecclestone’s (747 points) return signalling England’s quiet confidence.

South Africa’s Ayabonga Khaka returned with a sensational 6-fer in the 1st ODI. As a result, she has climbed up three spots to the 17th position (571 points). Georgia Wareham has picked up 4 wickets in a couple of innings with the ball for her side in the series. As a result, she has climbed up 5 spots to the 30th position (473 points). South Africa’s Chloe Tryon has also climbed up five spots to equal the 35th position (433 points) alongside Ireland’s Orla Prendergast. New Zealand’s Sophie Devine has climbed up one spot to the 42nd position (402 points).

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New Zealand’s Rosemary Mair picked up a couple of wickets in the 1st ODI. As a result, she has climbed up a couple of spots to the 56th position (376 points). South Africa’s Tumi Sekhukhune has climbed up a couple of spots to the 64th position (350 points). Thailand’s Nattaya Boochatham has climbed up a couple of spots to equal the 68th position (320 points) alongside Chinelle Henry from the West Indies. Ireland’s Laura Delany has climbed up a couple of spots to the 72nd position (316 points).

New Zealand’s Bree Illing has climbed up four spots to equal the 75th position (311 points) alongside the UAE skipper Esha Oza. The Australian vice-captain, Tahlia McGrath, picked up a couple of scalps with the ball in the previous game. As a result, she has earned a significant rise as she has climbed up 18 spots to the 97th position (250 points).

All-rounder Rankings:

All-rounder rankings remained steady this week, with no top-10 upheavals reported amid the fixture frenzy. Australia’s Georgia Wareham has climbed up 8 spots to the 16th position (177 points). New Zealand’s Jess Kerr has climbed up a couple of spots to the 19th position (166 points). Chinelle Henry from the West Indies climbed up three spots to equal the 26th position (136 points) alongside Lauren Bell from England.

Afy Fletcher earned a significant rise as she has climbed up 12 spots to the 29th position (131 points). Australia’s Tahlia McGrath has climbed up 8 spots to equal the 34th position (118 points) alongside Ellyse Perry. South Africa’s Annerie Dercksen has climbed up 10 spots to equal the 50th position (92 points) alongside USA’s Aditiba Chudasama. Experienced West Indian all-rounder Stafanie Taylor has climbed up 8 spots to equal the 53rd position (88 points) alongside Pakistan’s Diana Baig and England’s Linsey Smith. South Africa’s Ayabonga Khaka has climbed up three spots to equal the 64th position (74 points) alongside Pakistan’s Rameem Shamim.

Australia’s Nicola Carey has climbed up 19 spots to the 66th position (73 points). South Africa’s Tumi Sekhukhune has climbed up 9 spots to equal the 67th position (72 points) alongside UAE’s Esha Oza, and Thailand’s Nattaya Boochatham (72 points). Australian skipper Sophie Molineux has climbed up 10 spots to equal the 73rd position (69 points) alongside Sri Lanka’s Sugandika Kumari, Pakistan’s Omaima Sohail, Ireland’s Georgina Dempsey, England’s Lauren Filer, and India’s Pratika Rawal. New Zealand’s Maddy Green has climbed up one spot to the 98th position (49 points).

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