Dubai, Dec 29 Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu, along with two ICC Women’s T20 World Cup finalists - Melie Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt - and Ireland batter Orla Prendergast, has been nominated for the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year for 2024.
Despite encountering an unexpected slump in the Women's T20 World Cup, Athapaththu was the second-highest run-getter in a calendar year in women’s T20Is. Her 720 runs included two hundreds and four half-centuries, with 86 fours and 32 sixes to her name. Apart from her exploits with the willow, Athapaththu also picked 21 wickets in the period.
A maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title and the national record for most Women’s T20I wickets in a year marked quite a year for Melie Kerr. Besides, the all-rounder also starred with the willow, hitting five scores of 40 plus while playing a key role in the New Zealand top order.
Undoubtedly, Kerr’s finest moment came during White Ferns’ successful run to the title, where the all-rounder scored 135 runs and picked 15 wickets (a Women’s T20 World Cup record) in a historic win. Melie’s numbers picked up as the tournament progressed, with her finest punches coming in the knockout matches.
Having assumed leadership late in 2023, Wolvaardt led from the front, starting the year with a flurry of impressive scores against Australia and Sri Lanka. This included a maiden T20I ton that guided the Proteas to a win against the Island Nation in Benoni.
Wolvaardt's prolific run continued into the Women's T20 World Cup, where the opener was the leading run-getter in the tournament. As a leader, she oversaw her side into their maiden final appearance.
Orla Prendergast finished 2024 as the second-highest run-getter and the highest wicket-taker for Ireland in Women’s T20Is in any calendar year, and her exemplary numbers were the reason behind their success in the format this year.
Ireland began and ended the year with whitewashes over Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, respectively, and Prendergast starred in both, also winning the Player of the Series award in the latter contest. Later, her valiant efforts at home helped her side tie the series against higher-ranked opponents like England and Sri Lanka.
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