Cricket South Africa (CSA) has congratulated the three cricketers who are in the top 20 of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women’s rankings which were today, launched in Mumbai, India.
CSA’s Chief Executive Officer, Gerald Majola expressed his jubilation at the news that Cri-Zelda Brits is ranked 19th on the batters list and Alicia Smith and Ashlyn Kilowan are ranked 16th and 18th in the bowlers stakes, respectively.
“CSA’s heartiest congratulations go to captain Cri-Zelda, Alicia and Ashlyn in making the top 20 of the inaugural ICC Women’s ODI rankings.
“This is a major boost for South African women’s cricket and we are most proud of them. This is a well-deserved reward for the focus being put on women’s cricket here, and for the commitment shown by the three players.
“Their rankings will add much confidence to the team for the ICC World Cup to be held in Australia in March next year,” he said.
Brits, who led the South African Women to England in winter is optimistic that the Women’s rankings will help in the development of women’s cricket. “I am very excited about the development of player rankings for women’s cricket as hopefully it will help fans identify who are the leading players in the sport,” Brits said.
“It is great for South African cricket that we have three players in the top 20 of the player rankings. This shows the potential of our team and if we keep working hard in the coming months then I think we have an excellent chance of performing well at the ICC Women’s World Cup,” she said.
Alicia Smith who is fast becoming a renowned all-rounder is naturally happy with her inclusion in the first rankings. “I am excited by making the top 20. Although, we are not having any forthcoming international matches until next year’s World Cup, I still need to work hard on my bowling and batting.
“I am not sure about the status of my batting in the new rankings, but I will have to work hard on both facets of the game to become one of the great all-rounders in world cricket.” Smith concluded.
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