Ashleigh Gardner makes giant strides in latest ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings

Ashleigh Gardner. (Photo Source: MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner has made significant gains in the latest update of the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings following Australia’s 2-0 ODI series win over Ireland in Dublin this past week. With the opening match rained out, Australia beat their hosts comfortably in their last two fixtures, thanks to Gardner’s all-round heroics and centuries from Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield.

Gardner, who is also the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for June 2023, reached a career-best ranking in all three lists starting with jumping five slots from 21st to 16th and 579 rating points in the batters list after a quick-fire 65 from 39 deliveries in the second match.

She then moved one place to a personal best fourth in the bowlers’ list, with 673 points after taking three wickets for 38 in the third fixture, which culminated in her best ranking of number two and 389 points (from the fourth place) in the all-rounders’ list, that continues to be topped by England’s Natalie Sciver-Brunt, who also continues her stronghold over the top batting position.

Her teammates, Sutherland and Litchfield smashed a century each in their 10-wicket victory in the third match to rise to their own, career-best rankings of 36th (up 13 slots with 418 points) and 51st (up 22 with 357 points) respectively.

Ellyse Perry’s 99-ball 91 saw her rise to eighth position among the batters, one up from her previous seventh, with 686 rating points, while Georgia Wareham also made significant gains in all three lists, reaching her personal best in the batters (66th from 80th) and all-rounders (22nd from 30th) lists. She has also risen four slots to 25th in the bowlers’ list, five places shy of her best, at 20th.

Ireland have also seen several personal best gains in this week’s update. Gabby Lewis rose two places to 21st in the batters list with 557 points, followed by Amy Hunter who jumped nine slots to 54th and 338 points.

Georgina Dempsey leaped 18 slots to a career-best 50th from 68th in the bowlers’ list (336 points) and seven places to 50th among the all-rounders. Her teammates Laura Delany, Laura Canning, and Orla Prendergast rose two slots to 57th, 21 spaces to 92nd, and nine slots to 94th respectively in the bowlers’ list. Prendergast also jumped 11 places to 45th in the all-rounders’ list.