Smriti Mandhana Named ICC Woman Cricketer Of 2018, Also ODI Player Of The Year

Smriti Mandhana was named winner of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's Cricketer of the Year. Smriti Mandhana signed off 2018 on a high as she was also named the player of the year in women's One-day Internationals, the ICC announced on Monday. The 22-year-old Smriti Mandhana, who has also been named in the ICC women's ODI and T20I teams for 2018, 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, which ran from January 1 to December 31, 2018.

Smriti Mandhana played a crucial role in India's semi-final appearance at the ICC Women's World T20 in the West Indies, scoring 178 runs in five matches at a strike-rate of 125.35. She is currently ranked fourth in the ICC Women's Players Rankings for ODI Batters and 10th in the MRF Tyres ICC Women's Players Rankings for T20I Batters.

Smriti Mandhana, who was selected by a voting academy which included respected members of the media and broadcasters, becomes only the second India woman player to win an ICC award after fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who won the distinction in 2007.

“The awards are pretty special because as a player when you score runs, you want the team to win, and then when you get acknowledged for your performances through these awards, it motivates you to work harder and do well for your team,” Mandhana said.

“The century I scored in South Africa (in Kimberley) was quite satisfying and then I had good home series against Australia and England. A lot of people used to say I do not score that much in India, so I had a point to prove to myself. That was something which really made me better as a player. And then, of course, the first four matches of the ICC Women's World T20 were quite memorable.”

Australia's opening batter and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy, who came up with some superb performances and finished with 225 runs in six matches at the ICC Women's World T20 2018 in the West Indies, has been named the ICC Women's T20I Player of the Year.

England's 19-year-old left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone has been voted the ICC Women's Emerging Player of the Year after grabbing 18 wickets in nine ODIs and 17 in 14 T20Is during the calendar year.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Women Smriti Mandhana Cricket