Chamari Athapaththu reaches career-best ICC T20I rankings after Asia Cup opener

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu has set career-best rating points across all three ICC Women’s T20I ranking categories following the opening weekend of the Women’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The updated standings show her at 734 points in batting, while her bowling tally has climbed to 552 and her all-rounder mark now stands at 405, each figure a personal best.

The gains were driven by a commanding all-round display in Sri Lanka’s nine-wicket victory over the UAE. Athapaththu struck an unbeaten 48 from 25 balls and returned figures of one wicket for 10 runs across three overs. She holds sixth place in the batting list, has moved three spots forward to 33rd among bowlers and retains third position in the all-rounder table.

Several Sri Lanka teammates also recorded notable climbs. Imesha Dulai, who opened alongside Athapaththu, moved up four places to a career-high 18th in the batting rankings with 625 points after contributing 25 from 18 deliveries. In the bowling list, Mithali Ayodhya surged 18 places to 70th and a career-best 444 points following a three-wicket haul for 14 runs that helped restrict the UAE to 79. Sugandika Kumari’s two for 18 earned her a five-place rise to 23rd among bowlers.

How did Bangladesh, Thailand and India fare in the rankings?

Bangladesh announced their arrival at the tournament with a 71-run win over Indonesia. Sobhana Mostary gained one place to reach 39th in the batting rankings and recorded a career-best rating of 500, while Marufa Akter’s two wickets for six runs across three overs lifted her two places to 37th in the bowling list.

Thailand beat Hong Kong by six runs in their first match but were beaten by 94 runs when they faced India. Nannapat Koncharoenkai’s 41 off 48 balls in the India fixture was enough to move her one place up to 29th among batters. Suleeporn Laomi claimed three wickets for 26 against India and advanced five places to joint-63rd in the bowling rankings. India’s seamer Nandani Sharma was among the week’s biggest movers overall, her three for 18 against Thailand propelling her 38 places up to 112th in the bowling list.

Which associate players moved in the latest ICC rankings update?

Away from the Asia Cup, the ICC Continental Cup held in Romania produced significant movements among associate nations. Lucy Barnett of the Isle of Man finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with an aggregate of 257 runs and helped her side reach the final, a contribution that lifted her to joint-67th in the batting rankings.

Romania’s Rebecca Blake scored 197 runs across the competition without being dismissed once. Her T20I batting average now stands at 153.00 from 20 matches, placing her at joint-89th in the batting list. Both performances underline the growing strength of women’s cricket beyond the traditional Full Member nations.