London, June 2 -- England spinner Linsey Smith has continued her remarkable rise in international cricket by climbing to the top of the ICC Women's T20I Bowling Rankings for the first time in her career.

The left-arm spinner's ascent comes on the back of a series of impressive performances against New Zealand and India, with Smith gaining one place to overtake Pakistan's Sadia Iqbal and claim the No. 1 ranking.

Her rise caps a memorable period of form and underlines her growing influence in England's T20I setup, according to the ICC website.

It's been a long time coming for Smith, with the 31-year-old first making her debut way back in 2018 and only becoming a permanent fixture for England in the shortest format late in 2024 after almo...