Tahlia McGrath has risen to world No. 1 in only 16 matches, leapfrogging a slew of talents including in-form colleague Beth Mooney. Tahlia McGrath’s meteoric ascent in the T20I format has continued, with the Australia allrounder awarded the world’s new No.1 batter in the shortest form of the game.
In case you don’t know, Tahlia McGrath No.1 T20I batter
McGrath, who has played 16 T20Is since making her debut against India last October, surpassed colleague Beth Mooney, India’s Smriti Mandhana, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, and the missing Meg Lanning in the latest update to the International Cricket Council’s rankings on Tuesday. The intricacies of the mechanism that decides the rankings system make it unclear how McGrath, who has struck 40no and 70no in the series against India so far, surpassed Mooney, who is also in fine form after back-to-back innings of 89no and 82no.
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However, it is a reward for the allrounder’s breakthrough year at the international level; she is the second-fastest woman to have achieved the No.1 spot, after Windies standout Stafanie Taylor, who did it after 15 matches. Shafali Verma of India accomplished this feat in 18 games. McGrath has scored 485 runs in 10 innings since her debut last year, striking out at 149.69 with four half-centuries. In those ten innings, the South Australian was only removed four times, giving her an astounding average of 121.
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She has been elevated to No.3 in place of Lanning this series, as well as designated Australia vice-captain, and shared an Australian T20I record partnership of 158 with Mooney in Sunday’s second T20I. I think she’s really developed in confidence, and confidence goes a long way in this format,” Australia captain Alyssa Healy said of McGrath on Tuesday.
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“I believe it’s an extremely volatile format, but if you go out there just a little bit more confidence than your opponent, it may typically fall your way, and I think TMac has simply matured as a cricketer, as a leader, and as a batter. I believe she’s very confident in her abilities and what she can accomplish for our team, which I think is fantastic. It’s a fantastic reward for her efforts over the previous 12 months, and we hope she will continue to fly for us. Australia has five hitters in the top ten only two months before the World Cup, with McGrath and Mooney joined by Lanning (5), Healy (8), and Ashleigh Gardner (10).
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