South Africa’s Tazmin Brits has broken new ground in women’s cricket after her stunning 89-ball 101 against New Zealand in the Women’s ODI World Cup on Monday night. The innings not only guided her team to victory but also lifted her into the top five of the ICC ODI rankings for batters.
Brits’ latest performance saw her jump two spots, joining Australia’s Ash Gardner, who also scored a brilliant 115 off 83 balls against New Zealand earlier in the tournament. Gardner climbed seven positions to take the No. 5 spot.
Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Beth Mooney continue to occupy the top three positions in the rankings. However, the rise of Brits and Gardner has pushed down established names such as Ellyse Perry, Laura Wolvaardt, Amy Jones, Hayley Matthews, Alyssa Healy, and Marizanne Kapp.
New Zealand’s Sophie Devine also made a big leap, moving up seven places to No. 8 after her consistent performances. Pakistan’s Sidra Amin climbed three spots to joint No. 10 with Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu.
So far, Brits, Gardner, and Devine are the only century-makers in this World Cup. Despite New Zealand losing both their matches, Devine leads the tournament run chart with 197 runs in two innings, followed by Gardner on 115.
Brits’ hundred against New Zealand marked her fifth ODI century of 2025 and her fourth in five innings. Her prolific run began in April with a 109 against India in Colombo. After a brief dry spell, she returned to top form with a remarkable streak of 101, 101 not out, 171 not out, 5, and 101.
No female cricketer has ever scored five centuries in a single calendar year before, making Brits’ achievement a historic milestone in women’s ODI cricket.