The nominations for the 2024 ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year have been announced. Surprisingly, no Indian made it to the list which has four players from different countries.
The four players who made the list are Chamari Athapaththu, Amelia Kerr, Annabel Sutherland and Laura Wolvaardt. All these players had a fantastic year and made vital contributions for their teams.
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ICC Women's Cricketers of the Year 2024: Chamari Athapaththu
Chamari Athapaththu scored 458 runs in nine ODIs this year at an average of 65.42 with a top score of 195. Athapaththu also took 9 wickets with his off-spin bowling with best score of 3-15.
The Sri Lankan captain also scored 720 runs in 21 T20Is at an average of 40 with a best of 119. She also took 21 wickets at an average of 4-29. She paved the way for her country with some world-class skills with both bat and ball.
Chamari Athapaththu played a key role in Sri Lanka's historic victory in the Asia Cup in July this year. She was named Player of the Tournament for 304 runs with the bat and 3 wickets with the ball. The skipper scored 61 off 43 balls in the final to lead his side to a title win.
Nominee for ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2024: Amelia Kerr
Amelia Kerr had one of the best years of her playing career in 2024. She scored 264 runs in 9 ODIs at an average of 33 with a best score of 57. The all-rounder also took 14 wickets with her quality leg-spin bowling with a best of 4-42.
But her best came in the T20I format. She scored 387 runs in 18 T20Is at an average of 24.18 and also took 29 wickets with best figures of 4-20. Her all-round performance helped New Zealand to their first T20 World Cup win this year.
Amelia Kerr was named Player of the Match in the final and also Player of the Tournament for her brilliance with both bat and ball. She scored 135 runs and took 15 wickets. She was also the top player of the tournament held in the United Arab Emirates.
ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2024 nominees: Annabel Sutherland
Annabel Sutherland has grown in stature this year with some incredible performances with both bat and ball across formats. Surprisingly, she didn't play any T20Is because of Australia's incredible bench strength.
However, Sutherland has played one Test and 12 ODIs this year. She scored 210 runs in the only Test innings against South Africa in Perth, which is also her personal best score. She also claimed five wickets in the same Test match to lead Australia to a massive victory.
The Australian all-rounder also scored 369 runs at an average of 52.71 in the ODI format and also claimed 13 wickets with a best of 4-39. Recently, Sutherland became the first women's ODI cricketer to score two consecutive hundreds while batting at No. 5 or lower during New Zealand ODIs.
ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2024 nominee: Laura Wolvaardt
Laura Wolvaardt is the only player in the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2024 list who is not an all-rounder. The South African opener scored 223 runs in three Tests at an average of 37.16 and 697 runs in 12 ODIs at a staggering average of 87.12.
Wolvaardt also scored 673 runs in nine T20Is at an average of 39.58. She was instrumental in South Africa's run to the final of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024. She became the tournament's leading run-getter with 223 runs in six matches at an average of 44.60 and a strike rate of 113 ,19.
She is also the highest ranked batsman in the ODI format. Her best score came against Sri Lanka in April when she scored an unbeaten 184. As South Africa's all-format captain, Wolvaardt led his team from the front.