Sadia gains and loses top T20I bowling spot

LAHORE: Sadia Iqbal, the 29-year-old left-arm spinner from Pakistan, occupied the top spot briefly in ICC Women’s T20I Rankings. She overtook long-time number one Sophie Ecclestone before eventually finishing in second position.

Sadia drew level with Ecclestone on 757 rating points after taking three for 17 against Sri Lanka in a Group A match. Ecclestone slipped to second spot with 750 points after going wicketless against Bangladesh. Sadia’s reign at the top was short-lived as Ecclestone regained the top spot by taking two for 15 against South Africa. Sadia is only the second Pakistan player to top the women’s rankings, following former captain Sana Mir, who was top of the ODI bowling rankings in 2018-2019.