Mostary, Joty rise in ICC rankings despite Australia whitewash

Bangladesh batters Sobhana Mostary and Nigar Sultana Joty have made significant gains in the latest ICC women's ODI batting rankings, offering a positive outcome for the visitors despite their 3-0 series whitewash against Australia.

Both players climbed 11 places in the rankings released on October 13, following their performances in the first two matches of the three-ODI series.

Mostary rose to joint 35th with 535 rating points, achieving a career-best position after producing a landmark innings in the second ODI in Brisbane. She struck 118 off 134 balls, becoming the first Bangladesh woman to score an ODI century against Australia.

Her innings helped Bangladesh post 220 for six, their highest total of the series. However, the effort proved insufficient as Australia chased down the target with nine wickets remaining.

Joty also improved her standing, moving up to joint 24th with 566 rating points. The Bangladesh captain remained unbeaten on 74 in the second ODI and shared a 195-run fourth-wicket partnership with Mostary, giving the visitors a rare opportunity to put Australia under pressure.

The stand highlighted the potential of Bangladesh's middle order, but Australia's dominant batting continued to expose the gap between the sides. The hosts won the opening match by seven wickets and the second by nine wickets before completing the clean sweep with an eight-wicket victory in the final ODI.

The rankings update was published before the third match, meaning the movements reflected performances in the opening two games rather than the outcome of the entire series.

Bangladesh all-rounder Ritu Moni also made progress, climbing 10 places to 78th in the batting rankings.
For Bangladesh, the individual advances provide some encouragement after a difficult tour. Mostary demonstrated her ability to produce a major innings against a leading international side, while Joty combined personal success with a substantial partnership that briefly strengthened Bangladesh's position.

The next challenge for the Tigresses will be to turn such individual performances into more consistent collective displays. Their progress in the rankings offers recognition, but the Australian series underlined how much work remains before Bangladesh can regularly 
challenge the leading teams in women's cricket.