Dubai [UAE], January 28 (ANI): New Zealand star Melie Kerr has been honoured with the coveted Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year as the standout player of 2024, edging out top contenders Laura Wolvaardt, Chamari Athapaththu, and Annabel Sutherland to claim the prestigious award in women’s cricket, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Kerr was outstanding in all three facets of the game throughout the year, setting the standard for world-class all-rounders. Her brilliance in the field lifted New Zealand time and again, and she was one of the most dangerous leg-spinners in the world, acting as the White Ferns’ go-to strike bowler.
With the bat, Kerr was the rock in New Zealand’s line-up, capable of playing expansive knocks to build on strong starts or acting as a stabilising force to anchor the innings if the openers didn’t fire.
The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was first awarded in 2017 and has been shared between three players since then, with Australia’s Ellyse Perry, India’s Smriti Mandhana and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt each winning the award on two occasions.
Kerr becomes not only the first New Zealander to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, but also the first Kiwi to win the overall ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in any guise.
Kerr’s highlight of 2024 came at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup where she was named the Player of the Tournament and won the Player of the Match award against South Africa in the final as New Zealand’s women won their first ICC T20 World Cup.
In nine One Day Internationals during the year, Kerr scored 264 runs at an average of 33, and she also bagged 14 wickets in the format.
It was in T20 Internationals where her performances earned her the Cricketer of the Year award. In 18 T20Is in 2024 she scored 387 runs at an average of 24.18 and bagged 29 wickets, a national record for a single calendar year.
Kerr’s 15 wickets at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup made her the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and is the biggest haul ever by a bowler at a Women’s T20 World Cup.
She frequently got opponents’ key batters out throughout the tournament, including the prized scalp of Deandra Dottin in the semi-final against West Indies and two of South Africa’s top three, Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch in the final.
The 24-year-old saved her best for last with the bat at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scoring 43 from 38 to top score across both teams in the final.
Kerr anchored New Zealand’s innings, coming in during the second over and departing in the penultimate one having played a key role in lifting the Kiwis to a match-winning total of 158/5.
She followed up those batting efforts with an excellent catch and stand-out figures of 3/24 with the ball, including two wickets in an over to turn the tide in New Zealand’s favour after a strong Powerplay from the Proteas openers.
Kerr’s all-round brilliance deservedly earned her the Player of the Match award in the final, capping off a remarkable year of individual excellence. (ANI)
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