The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the nominees for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2024.
The nominees include South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, Australia’s Annabel Sutherland and New Zealand’s Melie Kerr.
Chamari Athapaththu earned her nomination for the ICC awards following a high-performing year for Sri Lanka.
She has 458 runs in 9 ODIs at an average of 65.42, including a record-breaking highest score of 195. On the bowling front in the 50-over format, She has nine wickets with figures of 3/15.
Despite a dip in her form during the women’s T20 World Cup, she completed as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament. She scored 720 runs in 21 matches in 2024, at an average of 40, including two centuries and four fifties.
The shortlists for all nine categories of #ICCAwards 2024 are now out 🔊
Make your votes count 🗳https://t.co/XmfUloOx0T
— ICC (@ICC) December 30, 2024
On the other hand, Proteas star Laura Wolvaardt had enjoyed the year with a stunning performance, scoring 697 runs in 12 ODIs at an impressive average of 87.12.
She has 223 runs across three test matches with an average of 37.16. Wolvaardt contributed 673 runs in 19 matches at an average of 39.58, including her maiden T20I century that guided South Africa to victory against Sri Lanka.
Australia’s Annabel Sutherland has scored 369 runs across 12 matches and claimed 13 wickets with a return of 4/39. She has showcased her all-around brilliance in 2024. In a single test match against South Africa, She smashed 210 runs and achieved a five-wicket haul, with best bowling figures of 3/19.
Melie Kerr played a crucial role in New Zealand’s maiden women’s T20 World Cup victory and set a national record for the most wickets in a calendar year.
Her standout performance came during T20 World Cup where she scored 135 runs and took 15 wickets. Kerr scored 387 runs in 18 T20Is at an average of 24.18 and claimed 29 wickets at an average of 15.55 with best figures of 4/20.
In ODIs, Kerr added 264 runs in nine matches at an average of 33 and took 14 wickets with her best performance being 4/42.
Her achievement came during the New Zealand women’s title run in the T20 World Cup campaign, where she amassed 135 runs and claimed 15 wickets.
