New Zealand's Melie Kerr bags ICC women’s cricketer of the year 2024 award

Melie Kerr played a huge role in New Zealand winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.

New Zealand spin-bowling all-rounder Melie Kerr has bagged the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC women’s cricketer of the year 2024, which the governing council announced on Tuesday. Kerr is the first New Zealander to win this particular award.

Kerr overcame stern challenges from Laura Wolvaardt, Chamari Athapaththu and Annabel Sutherland to clinch this award. It was her standout performances in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 that put her ahead of her competitors.

She played an instrumental role in New Zealand’s maiden T20 World Cup victory. She was named the Player of the Tournament for taking 15 wickets and scoring 135 runs and also the Player of the Match in the final for scoring 43 runs and taking three wickets.

Melie Kerr’s numbers in 2024:

In nine WODIs last year, Melie Kerr scored 264 runs at an average of 33 and took 14 wickets with two four-wicket hauls.

But it was in WT20Is that Kerr made the biggest splash in 2024. In 18 WT20Is last year, Kerr scored 387 runs at an average of 24 and snared 29 wickets – a record for a New Zealand women’s bowler in a calendar year.

Her 15 scalps at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 was the most in last year’s competition and the most a bowler has ever taken in an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

During the knockouts of the tournament, Melie Kerr claimed the important dismissals of Deandra Dottin in the semi-final against West Indies and those of Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch in the final against South Africa.

In the final, the 24-year-old produced a memorable all-round performance. She top-scored in the match with 43 runs, helping New Zealand post a competitive total of 158. Then, Kerr took three wickets, including two in an over, to put New Zealand on the way to victory.

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