The West Indies women’s team have maintained their sixth-place position in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings, which could serve as a confidence boost ahead of their upcoming three-match T20 series against second-ranked England.
The update, released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday, saw Australia consolidate their dominance at the top of the rankings despite not reaching the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Dubai. The reigning powerhouse increased their lead over England from 18 to 20 points, which reflects their consistent success in recent series.
While the West Indies lost two rating points, slipping from 242 to 240 points, they managed to hold firm at sixth, just behind South Africa (243) and ahead of Sri Lanka (228) and Pakistan (220). This stable ranking sets the stage for what promises to be a high-stakes encounter with England, who trail Australia with 279 points.
The rankings update — an annual recalibration — adjusted the weighting of matches, now placing 50% emphasis on games between May 2022 and April 2024 and 100% on more recent matches thereafter. This methodology allows the rankings to better reflect teams' current form and recent performances.
Australia, six-time T20 World Cup champions, gained two points to reach 299 after back-to-back 3-0 sweeps over New Zealand and a series whitewash of England, all of which were given full weighting.
India held onto third with an unchanged 260 points, while New Zealand (253) and South Africa, the 2024 World Cup finalists, retained fourth and fifth, respectively, with minor gains.
Ireland leapfrogged Bangladesh to move into ninth position, thanks to consistent performances, while Thailand continued their rise in the associate ranks, climbing to 11th after winning a Quadrangular Series in Hong Kong and a tri-series in Nepal.
Elsewhere, Sierra Leone and Kuwait made notable moves, each gaining seven points and jumping three places to sit at 34th and 46th, respectively.
However, four teams — Mexico, Czechia, Oman, and Ghana — dropped out of the rankings due to inactivity, having not played the required eight T20Is since May 2022.
The ODI rankings update is expected after the conclusion of the Sri Lanka Tri-Series currently underway in Colombo, featuring India, South Africa, and the hosts Sri Lanka.