Dubai: West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has reached career-best positions in the ICC Women’s ODI batting and all-rounder rankings after a dominant series against Zimbabwe.
Matthews plundered 326 runs in three matches — including two centuries — at an average of 108.66 to claim the Player of the Series award as West Indies won 2-1. The 28-year-old climbs to fourth in the ODI batting rankings on 731 points and second among all-rounders on 467, just 30 behind Ashleigh Gardner.
Matthews, already the world’s No.1 T20I all-rounder, continues to build a remarkable all-format resume.
Mandhana stays on top
Smriti Mandhana retains the No.1 ODI batting spot on 790 points, eight clear of South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (782), with Beth Mooney third on 744. Mooney leads the T20I batting rankings after her T20 World Cup final heroics, while India’s Sree Charani holds a record rating at the top of the T20I bowling charts and Alana King leads the ODI bowlers.
Several West Indies players rode the Zimbabwe series wave: Shemaine Campbelle rose 15 places to 74th among batters, while Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne and Ashmini Munisar all climbed the bowling rankings.
Matthews’ masterclass
The numbers behind Matthews’ rise are staggering. Her 326 runs included a record-breaking 182 in the first ODI, and her 108.66 average across the series left Zimbabwe’s attack with no answers. Player of the Series was a formality as West Indies sealed a 2-1 win.
At 28, Matthews is assembling one of the great all-round careers — top-ranked T20 all-rounder in the world, and now within 30 points of Gardner’s ODI all-rounder crown.
The chasing pack
Behind Mandhana, Wolvaardt and Mooney, the ODI batting top five is completed by Matthews and Phoebe Litchfield. Gardner’s ODI all-rounder lead (497) is under genuine threat, while Alana King (753) continues to set the standard with the ball in ODIs.
Mandhana, Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma give India genuine world-class pillars; building a squad to match them is the task facing the selectors this season.
India’s standing
Third place in both team tables reflects a side on the rise but not yet the finished article. The Asia Cup triumph and Mandhana’s batting crown are real achievements; closing the gap on Australia and England — starting with the home season — is the next step.
Team standings
Australia remain No.1 in both the ODI (163) and T20I team rankings, with England second and India third in each — the Women’s in Blue holding 124 ODI and 262 T20I rating points after their Asia Cup triumph.
