Smriti Mandhana, Indian women’s cricket team’s left-handed opener, has won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Not just this, she has also been named as the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year. All of 22, Smriti has scored 669 runs at an average of 66.90 in 12 ODIs and 622 runs at a strike-rate of 130.67 in 25 T20Is during the voting period.
India’s @mandhana_smriti was today named as the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year and as the 2018 winner of the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year! 👏
➡️ https://t.co/7TLSe27Au8#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/Bhil2dltxb
— ICC (@ICC) December 31, 2018
Reacting to her win, Smriti shared her excitement and what motivates her so much.
“When you get acknowledged for your performances through these awards, it motivates you to work even harder and do well for your team.”@mandhana_smriti reacts to winning the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Award for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year! #ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/AEo3hrlatV
— ICC (@ICC) January 1, 2019
According to the ICC’s statement, Smriti was one of only three to amass over 600 runs in the shorter format, hitting five fifties over the course of the year and at an impressive strike-rate of 130.67. She also starred for India in their Women’s World T20 campaign in the West Indies, finishing as third top scorer in the tournament with 178 runs as her side crashed out to England in the semi-finals. Her 55-ball 83 against eventual champions Australia was a particularly striking display of batsmanship.
Meanwhile, Australia’s opening batter and wicket keeper Alyssa Healy has been named the ICC Women’s T20I Player of the Year. And England’s 19-year-old left-arm spinner, Sophie Ecclestone, was voted the ICC Women’s Emerging Player of the Year. A surely good look at women’s cricket, indeed!
