Shafali Verma rises to fourth in the ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings after her maiden T20I century
Indian bowlers Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma retain the top two spots in the bowling rankings
Pakistan’s Shawaal Zulfiqar and Ayesha Zafar make significant gains after strong Asian Games performances
ICC Rankings Take A Turn After Asian Games As Shafali Verma Storms Up The Chart
Asian Games 2026 performances trigger major ICC T20I rankings changes, with Shafali Verma climbing to fourth, while Indian, Pakistani and Thai players make notable gains
Summary
The ongoing Asian Games 2026 women’s cricket competition has already left its mark on the latest ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, with several Asian players making significant gains after impressive performances in Japan.
India opener Shafali Verma has been among the biggest movers, while Pakistan, Thailand and other teams have also seen their players climb the rankings.
Shafali Verma Breaks Into Top Four
Shafali has climbed into the top four of the ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings following a memorable week. The India opener registered her maiden T20I century during the Asian Games, smashing an unbeaten 100 from just 49 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final.
Her explosive knock has further strengthened her position among the leading batters in the format and comes after India’s strong run through the competition.
Pakistan have also had plenty to celebrate. Shawaal Zulfiqar surged 16 places to 29th after scoring 25 and 54 in the quarter-final and semi-final. Teammate Ayesha Zafar made an even bigger jump, rising 31 spots to 40th after her 71 against Sri Lanka. Zafar also moved nine places to 30th in the all-rounder rankings.
Indian Bowlers Continue To Lead
India retained a strong presence at the top of the bowling charts, with Sree Charani and Deepti Sharma occupying the first two positions. Meanwhile, Kranti Gaud and Nandani Sharma made notable progress, climbing 15 and 22 places respectively to career-best positions of 57th and 72nd.
Elsewhere, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana moved up five places to 24th, while Thailand’s Onnicha Kamchomphu climbed six spots to joint 63rd after taking three wickets against Pakistan.
South Africa Players Make Big Gains
Away from the Asian Games, South Africa’s 5-0 T20I series sweep over Zimbabwe also triggered several ranking changes. Anneke Bosch climbed eight places to 46th among batters, while Miane Smit moved to a career-best joint 53rd. Zimbabwe’s Nyasha Gwanzura jumped 28 places to 87th in the bowling rankings.
With the Asian Games women’s final now set between India and Sri Lanka, further strong performances could bring another round of movement when the rankings are updated.
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