Pakistan spinner Sadia Iqbal made history by becoming the first player from her country to lead the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings, briefly surpassing long-standing top-ranked bowler Sophie Ecclestone. This landmark moment occurred during the weekly rankings update on Tuesday, though Sadia ultimately settled in second place among bowlers.
Ecclestone, who had held the top position since February 2020, entered the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup as the number one bowler. Sadia caught up with her at 757 rating points after an impressive three-wicket haul for just 17 runs against Sri Lanka in a Group A match on Thursday. However, Ecclestone briefly slipped to second with 750 points following a wicketless performance against Bangladesh.
Sadia’s time at the top lasted two days before Ecclestone reclaimed her spot, taking two wickets for 15 runs against South Africa and earning the Player of the Match award. This thrilling exchange of rankings highlighted a close competition between the two talented left-arm spinners.
Sadia is only the second Pakistani player to top the ICC Women’s Rankings, following former captain Sana Mir, who was ranked number one in the ODI bowling rankings in 2018-19.
