New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr has been named the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year after her stellar run in 2024. The 24-year-old got the prestigious Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy after she edged past South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardt, Sri Lankan captain, Chamari Athapaththu and Australian sensation Annabel Sutherland.
Kerr became the fourth cricketer to become the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year after England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, Australia’s Ellyse Perry and India’s Smriti Mandhana. Sciver-Brunt, Perry and Mandhana won the award twice before Kerr joined the elite list. The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy award was introduced back in 2017.
“It’s a huge honour to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. I guess for me individual awards aren’t something you think about much, but this is an extremely special one,” Kerr said.
“It’s nice to be able to contribute for New Zealand, I guess that’s all any cricketer wants is to work hard and put out performances for their teammates. There are so many people that have helped me achieve what I have, and I’m very grateful for the support network I have around me,” Kerr added.
Amelia Kerr’s delightful Women’s T20 World Cup
Kerr won the Women’s Cricketer of the Year award after her she impressed across formats last year, especially in the Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the back of her performances, the White Ferns won the title for the first time after beating the Proteas in the final.
Kerr was the top wicket-taker of the tournament after she scored 15 wickets from six T20Is at an economy rate of 4.85. She also scored 135 runs at an average of 27 and a strike-rate of 90. In the final, she won the Player of the Match after scoring 43 runs and picking up three wickets.
Also Read: Spunky and audacious, New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr is destined for greatness. Period
Kerr also went on to win the Player of the Tournament award. She also broke Anya Shrubsole’s record for most wickets in a single edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Back in 2014, Shrubsole had taken 13 wickets from six games when the tournament took place in Bangladesh.
In 18 T20Is in 2024, Kerr smashed 387 runs at an average of 24.18 and took 29 wickets. In nine ODIs last year, the youngster scored 264 runs at an average of 33 and picked up 14 wickets.
