Dubai: Ellyse Perry has cemented her status as the leading women’s cricketer in the world by winning the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award. The Australian allrounder beat New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite and India’s Harmanpreet Kaur to the title. The award, named in honour of the pioneering Rachael Heyhoe-Flint was established following her death in January 2017.
Satterthwaite did have reason to celebrate at least, collecting the ODI Player of the Year award, for a year in which she scored 1183 runs in 24 matches (between 21 September 2016 and 21 December 2017), while Perry’s team-mate Beth Mooney was declared ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year as well as T20I Player of the Year.
Perry was outstanding in the 14-month period under consideration, scoring 905 runs and taking 22 wickets in ODIs. She starred in the one-off Ashes Test as well, scoring an unbeaten 213 and taking three wickets.
“This year has been a very special year for women’s cricket with many milestones reached, so it is a privilege and honour to receive the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award,” Perry said in a statement.
“I’d like to acknowledge the incredible work and legacy Rachael has left behind for the game, she is certainly missed.
“A special thanks to Cricket Australia for the incredible amount of support they provide to the Australian Women’s Cricket Team and the way in which they continue to lead the development of women’s sport in Australia.
“Also, my team-mates and our support staff, thanks so much for making it so enjoyable and memorable to tour and represent Australia.”
Twenty-three year old Mooney, the leading T20I run-scorer (255 runs in 14 ODIs) with a strike-rate of over 135, had played just three ODIs and nine T20Is prior to September 2016, thereby fetching her the Emerging Player award for 2017.
ICC also announced the year’s best ODI and T20I teams, with Indian left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht the only cricketer to feature in both XIs. Heather Knight of England was selected as the captain of the ODI team while West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor was chosen as the T20I captain.
ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year: Tammy Beaumont, Meg Lanning, Mithali Raj, Amy Satterthwaite, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight (capt), Sarah Taylor (wk), Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Ekta Bisht, Alex Hartley
ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year: Beth Mooney (wk), Danni Wyatt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Stafanie Taylor (capt), Sophie Devine, Deandra Dottin, Hayley Williams, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Lea Tahuhu, Ekta Bisht
