From the subcontinent, the left-handed opener keeps on improving day by day. The athlete, Smriti Mandhana, has extended her lead on top of the ICC Women’s ODI Rankings to a whopping 83 points after she hit two fifties in a row in the ongoing Women’s World Cup.

Mandhana’s recent form is really telling

The fashionable opener scored 88 runs off 94 balls against England at Indore, though her side couldn’t complete the chase of the target of 289 runs. Before that, she had already collected 80 runs against Australia. These runs not only helped her to secure the position as the number one ranked ODI batter but also made her the undisputed front-runner.

England’s captain Nat Sciver-Brunt being Mandhana’s nearest competitor, is currently at the second spot with 191 runs in the tournament so far. The distance between them indicates clearly how much Mandhana has overtaken in recent months.

What makes her stand out on Cricstrike rankings

Mandhana picked up the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for September 2025. She got this honor because of her outstanding work against Australia in the ODI series that happened just before the World Cup kicked off. The left-hander has been on fire lately, putting together innings after innings that keep her team in the hunt.​

Here’s what makes her current form special:

• She scored consecutive half-centuries at the World Cup
• Her 88 against England came under pressure during a tricky chase
• She handles pace and turn with equal ease
• Her timing and placement leave fielders watching the ball race to the boundary

The capacity of the opener to absorb pressure and at the same time keep the scoreboard ticking has made her a nightmare for any bowling line-up. The teams are well aware that they have to dismiss her sooner rather than later, or otherwise, she will give them a hard time.​

Other cricstrike athletes on the move

After scoring two hundreds in the tournament, the Australian captain Alyssa Healy not only maintained her position but also improved her ranking by one – the third position she shared with another athlete. She started with a magnificent 142 against the home team and then scored 113 not out against Bangladesh thereby becoming the second athlete ever to achieve the feat of two tons in two World Cup editions.​

Tazmin Brits, the opening batswoman from South Africa upgraded her rank by one and is now placed ninth overall. The opener’s steady scoring at the top of the order has not only been noticed but has also attracted everyone’s attention.

Here are some other big movers in the latest update:​

• Captain Harmanpreet Kaur climbed three spots to 15th
• Australia’s young gun Phoebe Litchfield jumped five places to 17th
• England veteran Heather Knight made a huge leap of 15 spots to reach 18th

All three earned their rises through solid efforts with the bat during World Cup matches.​

Changes in the bowling charts

It is England’ spinner Sophie Ecclestone who still reigns as the number one among the ODI bowlers. However, there has been a shuffle in the ranks right after her. Deepti Sharma representing India, who had earlier occupied the sixth position, now ascended to the third place due to her taking a total of 13 wickets from only five matches at the World Cup. 

Alana King from the Australian side has also had a successful tournament and as such moved up two places to seventh position. Additionally, three Pakistani pacers also witnessed a significant rise in their rankings. While Nashra Sundhu advanced three spots to the 11th position, Sadia Iqbal moved five places up to share the 14th rank, and Fatima Sana was able to gain five spots and reach the 24th position.

Changes are also seen in the all-rounder rankings

Fatima Sana’s impressive bowling has been the main reason for her ascent of five places to 15th among the all-rounders. However, the Australian Ash Gardner is still the king in that category. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu won one position and climbed to the seventh place.

What this means going forward

Mandhana’s 83-pointer advantage provides her with comfort at the summit. Nevertheless, she is aware that a single bad phase could allow the other contenders to eliminate the distance. There are still matches to go in the World Cup, which signifies a lot of opportunities for athletes to change their positions in the ranking either upwards or downwards.​

For a batsman of her caliber occupying the top position in the order, it is consistency that is the greatest obstacle. Every bowler is on top of their contest when they come up against her because it is known to everybody that dismissal of the opener in the early stages can alter the entire match drastically. 

The rankings reflect the athletes who have been the most crucial for their teams’ fortunes. At the moment, this athlete is without a doubt the graceful left-hander who keeps on finding ways to add runs to her tally regardless of the conditions or opponents she faces. 

Each innings she competes intensifies her claim as one of the finest openers in women’s cricket presently. Given her current form, the other batters will have to come up with something extraordinary to keep pace with her before the conclusion of this tournament.​

The figures speak for themselves. An 809 rating separates her by a huge margin from her rivals. That is the figure that accrues when one is consistently converting opportunities into runs from match to match, series to series. The upshot is now not whether she will linger at the top, but rather how extensive the extension of her lead will be.