Dubai: India’s Smriti Mandhana, Australia’s Annabel Sutherland, and South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of December award.
Smriti Mandhana displayed exceptional form across formats, contributing significantly during India’s tours and home series. Despite a shaky start in the ODI series against Australia, Mandhana roared back in the third ODI with a scintillating century (105 off 109 balls). This knock set the stage for her dominant performances in the subsequent home series against the West Indies.
Mandhana’s performances in the T20I series against the West Indies were nothing short of remarkable, where she smashed three consecutive half-centuries to lead India to a 2-1 series victory. Her ability to anchor innings while maintaining a brisk strike rate stood out, cementing her place as one of the best batters in women’s cricket.
In ODIs, she scored 270 runs in six matches at an average of 45.00 and a strike rate of 91.52, whereas in T20Is, she scored 193 runs in three matches at an average of 64.33 and a strike rate of 59.50.
Australia’s Annabel Sutherland was instrumental in her team’s unbeaten ODI streak in December. The all-rounder showcased her batting prowess with two centuries – a breathtaking 110 against India in Perth and an unbeaten 105 against New Zealand in Wellington. Her ability to balance aggression and composure with the bat added depth to the Australian lineup.
Sutherland’s contributions with the ball were equally impactful. Her match-winning 4/39 in the second ODI against India highlighted her knack for delivering under pressure. Across five ODIs in December, she claimed nine wickets, maintaining an impressive economy rate of 3.85. Her performance saw her score 269 runs at an average of 67.25 and a strike rate of 113.98 also nine wickets at an average of 16.22 and an economy rate of 3.85.
Her all-round heroics made her a double Player of the Series award-winner in December.
South Africa’s Nonkululeko Mlaba etched her name into the history books with a record-breaking performance in the historic one-off Test against England in Bloemfontein. She became the first South African woman to claim a 10-wicket haul in Tests, finishing with remarkable figures of 10 wickets at an average of 15.70.
While South Africa lost the Test match, Mlaba’s performance was a shining light, demonstrating her mastery of spin bowling in the longest format. She also contributed in the ODI series against England, where she picked up two wickets and chipped in with 20 runs.
