After a scintillating year of women’s cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) released the list of nominees for the ICC ODI Women’s Cricketer of the Year award.
There were many players who contributed significantly and spectacularly throughout the year. It must have been hard to shortlist only four cricketers who will now have the chance to win the prestigious ICC ODI Women’s Cricketer of the Year award.
Let’s take a look at the players who made the cut:
Shabnim Ismail (South Africa)
The experienced campaigner is the all-time highest wicket-taker for South Africa and is one of the greatest female crickets the sport has ever seen. She debuted in 2007 and continues to be the spearhead of the South African bowling attack since then. Ismail claimed 37 wickets from 17 matches in the year.
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)
The youngster has impressed fans as well as critics with her all-round abilities. She has turned out to be an indispensable part of the Kiwi setup and has shown that she is here for the long haul. In 18 matches, Kerr has amassed 676 runs and picked up 17 wickets. There is no doubt that Kerr has the potential to become one of the greatest players of all time for New Zealand.
Nat Sciver (England)
When in trouble, call Nat Sciver. The 30-year-old has proved her worth with both bat and ball. She scored 833 runs in 17 matches and also picked up 11 wickets. The inventor of the ‘Natmeg’ shot scored runs for fun at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup as she added 436 runs to her tally. With five fifties and two centuries to her name, Sciver just had to make this list.
Alyssa Healy (Australia)
The better half of Mitchell Starc is the only wicketkeeper among the nominees. She scored a fluent 72 against Pakistan in the World Cup. Against India, she notched up another fifty-plus score and never looked back. Healy scored centuries in both the semifinals and the finals to help Australia win their seventh World Cup title. The player of the tournament at the World Cup finished the year with 629 runs with eight catches and four stumping from just 12 matches.
