Finance
Smriti Mandhana, India’s vice-captain, was nominated for the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022 award for the second time on Wednesday.
Other nominees include Pakistan’s off-spin all-rounder Nida Dar, New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine, and Australia’s fast-bowling all-rounder Tahlia McGrath.
Smriti played well in T20Is this year, scoring 594 runs in 23 matches, including five half-centuries, and breaking the 2500-run mark.
The left-handed opener made an impression on the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Women’s T20 Asia Cup in Bangladesh, and a memorable five-match T20I home series against Australia near the end of a fruitful year.
Her most thrilling 2022 innings came in the second T20I of the bilateral series against Australia in December. Smriti smashed a 49-ball 79 in front of over 47,000 spectators at the DY Patil stadium in Mumbai, the highest turnout for a women’s cricket match in India.
She was India’s leading scorer in the game, carrying it to the end as India set up a Super Over clash after leveling the scores at 187/5. India made a competitive total of 20/1 in the Super Over, with Smriti scoring 13 off the last three balls. India then held Australia to 16/1, sealing a memorable victory in front of a raucous home crowd.
Nida, Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder, has been more impressive with the bat this year. This year, she has three fifty-plus scores: an unbeaten fifty at the Commonwealth Games, similar exploits against India at the Asia Cup, and a solid 61 against Ireland at home in November.
She was outstanding in the Women’s Asia Cup, scoring 145 runs in six matches at a superb average of 72.50 and taking eight wickets at a meager 14.87 runs per wicket.
Nida’s best performance of the year in the shortest format came in the Asia Cup against archrivals India.
After a shaky start that left Pakistan at 33/3 at the end of the Powerplay, captain Bismah Maroof was joined by Nida. They sewed a vital partnership together of 76 runs. Even after Bismah fell, Dar kept the momentum going with a fiery knock. She smashed 56 not out from just 37 balls with five fours and a six, helping her side post 137/6.
With the ball, she conceded 23 runs in four overs and claimed crucial wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur as Pakistan cruised to their first T20I win over India in six years. Nida was named Player of the Match for her match-winning efforts.
Sophie finishes the year at the top of the all-rounder rankings, as 2022 was a year in which she demonstrated time and again why she is one of the game’s best all-rounders. This year, New Zealand won 11 of 14 games under her leadership, including a Super Over victory over the West Indies in the fourth T20I in Antigua.
Sophie was dismissed early in that Super Over victory, being run out for 13. However, she was brilliant with the ball, returning 3-29 from her four-over spell as West Indies went on to level the scores on the last ball with just one wicket in hand.
West Indies made 15/0 in the Super Over, and the onus was on the experienced duo of Suzie Bates and Sophie to take their side over the line and seal the series. Devine hit the first pitch for a six, followed by a two and a single.
With two balls remaining, New Zealand needed six runs to win. Sophie ran a two on the next ball, and the White Ferns could have won with a boundary on the final ball. Devine hit a six off the final ball to not only win the match for her team, but also the Player of the Match award for her game-changing exploits.
Tahlia has had a successful T20I career since her debut in October 2021. One of the most exciting talents around, she amassed 128 runs in five matches for Australia to take the gold medal, averaging 42.66 and is currently the top-ranked T20I batter.
Tahlia began the Women’s Ashes series against England in Adelaide with a bang. She scored an unbeaten 91 off 49 balls, her highest T20I score. Her entertaining innings featured 13 fours and one six.
Prior to that, she made an impression with the ball, returning 3/26 from four overs, limiting England to 169/4. However, because of the way she attacked and batted fearlessly, the total appeared to be below par, as she and skipper Meg Lanning chased it down with 18 balls to spare.
Source:OCN
