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NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in England and Wales, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has received a timely boost, returning to the top 10 of the ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings following her match-winning performance against England.The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday released the latest women’s rankings, with Harmanpreet moving up one place to break back into the elite top-10 batters list. The Indian skipper’s rise comes on the back of her unbeaten half-century in the series-deciding match against England in Taunton, an innings that underlined her value as India’s most experienced batter heading into the global event. The rankings update arrives at a crucial juncture for India, with Harmanpreet expected to play a key role in their World Cup campaign. Her return to the top 10 is a reward for recent consistency and provides India with added confidence ahead of the marquee tournament.At the top of the batting rankings, Australian duo Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney continue to occupy the first and second positions respectively and will enter the T20 World Cup as the highest-ranked batters in the format.Meanwhile, New Zealand star Melie Kerr has reclaimed the No.1 position in the ICC Women’s T20I all-rounders rankings, dethroning West Indies captain Hayley Matthews.Kerr moved back to the summit after Matthews missed the West Indies’ final match of the recent tri-series in Ireland. However, the battle for the top spot remains intense, with Kerr holding a slender lead of just five rating points over Matthews ahead of the World Cup, which begins on June 12.There were significant gains elsewhere in the batting rankings. England’s Alice Capsey jumped 13 places to 30th after her Player-of-the-Match performance in the series decider, where she scored a brilliant 82. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana climbed two spots to 18th, while England veteran Heather Knight moved up four places to 21st.In the bowling rankings, England spinner Linsey Smith retained the No.1 position, narrowly ahead of Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal. England’s Lauren Bell moved up to share second place, while teammate Charlie Dean climbed to fourth. South Africa spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba also made gains, moving up to fifth position.Among the all-rounders, Kerr and Matthews continue to lead the field, while Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce surged nine places to 17th after impressive performances during the recent tri-series involving Bangladesh and the Netherlands.
