Smriti Mandhana Named ICC Women’s Player Of The Year 2018
Mumbai : Smriti Mandhana left-handed opening batswoman of Indian women’s cricket team won the eminent Rachael Heyhoe-Flint award for the best player of the year as well as the ODI Player of the year at ICC Women’s Awards. Wherein, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and Pakistan bowler Sana Mir came second and third in the ODI Player of the Year category.
Indeed, it’s a good start for Mandhana, who helped India to win ODI series against England, as well as series against Sri Lanka and South Africa in both T20I and ODI formats.
https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1079679588458852353?s=19
https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1079631685153480704?s=19
Smriti, a 22-year old won the award after making 669 runs in total of 12 ODI matches for India in 2018, by hitting seven 50s along with the century against South Africa to average 66.90. Simultaneously, she gave a strike of five fifties in the shortest format in the year to become one of the only three to gather over 600 runs at a splendid strike-rate of 130.67.
While stating to ICC Smriti said, “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. The century I scored in South Africa (in Kimberley) [135 off 129] 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, “she added.
Harmanpreet Kaur has been named the captain of ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year. She also made it to ICC Women’s Team of the Year along with Poonam Yadav.
ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year: Smriti Mandhana (India), Tammy Beaumont (England), Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Dane van Niekerk (South Africa), Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Alyssa Healy (Australia), Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Deandra Dottin (Windies), Sana Mir (Pakistan), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Poonam Yadav (India)
ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year: Smriti Mandhana (India), Alyssa Healy (Australia), Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Natalie Sciver (England), Ellyse Perry (Australia), Ashleigh Gardner (Australia), Leigh Kasperek (New Zealand), Megan Schutt (Australia), Rumana Ahmed (Bangladesh), Poonam Yadav (India)