(Web Desk) - A big week for Australia's white-ball stars as the race to be the No.1 ranked ODI batter intensifies ahead of next year's Cricket World Cup.
Australia's bevy of white-ball stars have made big gains on the latest ICC Women's Player Rankings as India left-hander Smriti Mandhana closed in on the top spot for ODI batters.
The reigning ICC Women's Cricket World Cup champions cruised to a recent 3-0 series sweep over India at home and a group of their best performers were compensated with improvement on the latest rankings update.
Player of the Series Annabel Sutherland rose 15 places to 29th on the latest rankings for ODI batters, while also gaining four spots to 20th on the list for bowlers and three rungs to ninth for all-rounders following her 122 runs and six wickets across the three matches.
Teammate Ash Gardner also makes eye-catching gains, with the 27-year-old gaining once place to 16th for batters, two spots to third for bowlers and two rungs to second for all-rounders having taken seven wickets across the series.
Fellow Aussies Tahlia McGrath also makes gains as she improves eight spots to 24th for ODI batters, while Mandhana is the big mover from an Indian perspective after the opener scored her ninth ODI century in the final game of the series against Australia in Perth.
Mandhana improves three places to second overall and is now just 39 rating points behind South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt at the top of the rankings for ODI batters.
Australia seamer Megan Schutt closes the gap on England spinner Sophie Ecclestone at the top of the rankings for ODI bowlers, with South Africa speedster Marizanne Kapp (up two places to fourth) and in-form tweaker Charlie Dean (up two spots to seventh) among those players to make ground.
There is also some joy for Indian players on the latest T20I rankings following the opening game of their series with the West Indies, with Jemimah Rodrigues (up six spots to 15th) the big improver on the list for batters following her half-century in Mumbai.
Teammate Deepti Sharma improves two places to close in on Ecclestone and move to second on the list for T20I bowlers following her two-wicket haul at DY Patil, while a trio of West Indies players also make gains.
Veteran all-rounder Deandra Dottin (up 21 rungs to 39th) and Qiana Joseph (up 22 places to 65th) make improvements on the T20I batter rankings, while spinner Karishma Ramharack (up six spots to 20th) jumps up the list for T20I bowlers.