India’s superstar batter Smriti Mandhana was honoured with the prestigious Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy for being the ICC’s Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2021. After Australia’s Ellyse Perry, Mandhana became only the second player to be conferred with the highest individual award in women’s overall category more than once.
Mandhana edged Tammy Beaumont of England, Lizelle Lee from South Africa and Gaby Lewis of Ireland to clinch the honour. Previously, Mandhana had won ICC women’s Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year back in 2018. Jhulan Goswami, who had won ICC women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2007, is the only other Indian women’s player to win an ICC annual award.
“I am truly honoured. I am grateful to my team-mates, my coaches, my family, friends and fans.
A recognition of such 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,”
Mandhana quoted to ICC on receiving the award.
In 2021, Mandhana scored 855 runs in 22 international matches across three formats, averaging 38.86 with the help of one century and five half centuries. She won the ‘Player of the match’ award for her 127 in the longest format against Australia in India’s first-ever day-night Test.
Lee won ICC women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for her spectacular 2021. The world no. 1 batter was the leading run-scorer in the format, with 632 runs from 11 matches at an incredible average of 90.28. She scored one hundred and five fifties in the year and was instrumental in South Africa’s 4-1 ODI series victory over India last march.
Lee had scored 288 runs across five games, including an unbeaten 132 in the third ODI and was named the ‘Player of the series’. She carried that form into the tour of West Indies, where she scored 248 runs in four ODIs.
“It’s an honour to just be nominated, so this feels amazing. There are so many people to give credit to – my parents and my wife have been my biggest source of support, but also my team-mates,”
she said after winning the award.
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