SPORTS: Smriti Mandhana became First Indian Women to win ICC women’s Cricketer of the Year
Smriti Mandhana was short-recorded for the top honor – – the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy – – alongside Tammy Beaumont of England, Lizelle Lee of South Africa and Gaby Lewis of Ireland, the ICC said in an assertion. Mandhana was also nominated for the Women’s T20I Player of the Year award, but that was won by England opener Tammy Beaumont. Mandhana was, however, named in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year. Mandhana, who was named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2018, pipped fellow opening batters Beaumont, Lizelle Lee of South Africa, and Gaby Lewis of Ireland to the honour. Jhulan Goswami, who won the same award in 2007, is the only other Indian woman to ever win an ICC annual award.
A year to remember ?
Smriti Mandhana’s quality at the top of the order was on full display in 2021 ?
More on her exploits ? https://t.co/QI8Blxf0O5 pic.twitter.com/3jRjuzIxiT
— ICC (@ICC) January 24, 2022
Commenting on receiving the honour Mandhana told ICC: “I am truly honoured for receiving the prestigious Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2021. I am grateful to my teammates, my coaches, my family, friends and fans who believed in my potential and supported me in this journey. Recognition of such a high class from the global governing body of cricket in an exceptional and difficult year will motivate me to continue to better my game and contribute to Team India’s success going forward. I look forward to 2022 with a clear focus on winning the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand as we continue to prepare as a team and unit.”
In 2021, since India’s re-visitation of the field on March 7 after a 364-day nonappearance from the worldwide scene – basically as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic yet, in addition, the BCCI’s powerlessness to plan games for them even as the Indian men’s group got its portion of installations – Mandhana scored 855 runs in 22 global matches across three series, at a normal of 38.86, hitting one century and five half-hundreds of years en route. The delegated piece in her run count was a Player-of-the-Game dominating lady hundred in the longest configuration – 127 against Australia at Gold Coast – in what was India’s lady ladies’ day-night Test.
In 2018, Mandhana had completed on the run outline in ladies’ ODIs with 669 runs at a normal of 66.90 and was the third-most elevated scorer in T20Is with 622 runs at a striking pace of 130.67. The ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year grant, established in 2006, was named after Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, the previous England Women’s Test cricketer and executive, in 2017 upon the renewed introduction of the class. Perry won the distinction in 2017 and 2019 and brought home the ICC Women’s Player of the Decade grant in 2020.
