Amy Satterthwaite climbs to top of ODI batting rankings... while on maternity leave

If there isn't a "World's No. 1 Mom" mug at Amy Satterthwaite's home, it's time to get one. The New Zealand captain has been on maternity leave since August 2019 expecting her first child with wife and team-mate Lea Tahuhu but, due to a quirk of the ICC rankings system, she has become the world's top-ranked batter in ODI cricket despite not playing a 50-over game in seven months.

The 33-year-old had been in glorious form in 2019, scoring 346 runs in six innings, including a best of 92 against Australia.

India opener Smriti Mandhana had held that position at the last update but she missed the recent three-match series against South Africa with a toe injury and has now dropped four points behind the new leader.

South Africa's young opener Laura Wolvaardt climbed six places to break into the top ten after her scores of 39, 69 and 23 against India this month. She is currently on the eighth position with 685 rating points. South Africa's fast bowling duo of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail also strengthened their position in the bowling chart. Kapp climbed two places and occupies the fifth spot while Ismail gained one place to move to seventh.

India's Jhulan Goswami, who failed to pick any wickets in the second ODI and didn't play in the third, slipped four places and is currently at the sixth spot in the table headed by Australia's left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen.

Apart from picking up four wickets, Kapp also scored 94 runs in three innings that helped her jump six spots in the ODI allrounders' rankings. She is in the second place with 370 points, but well behind Australia's Ellyse Perry, who has 523 points.