Page 39 - The Indian EYE 010623

SPORTS JANUARY 06, 2023 | The Indian Eye 39

Shai Hope (ANI) Amelia Kerr (left) with Hayley Jensen (ANI)

cy, scoring 204 runs and taking nine self to a team-best 436 runs from the series with an eye-catching 180 runs at tournament with a solid 28 against
wickets to continue her stunning run tournament at an average north of 70. an average of 60. England in Hamilton, followed by a
of form. If her exploits during the World Healy’s year of 50-over cricket superb 72 against Pakistan in Mount
Sciver had 2022 to remember as Cup weren’t enough, Sciver returned began in Canberra during Austra- Maunganui.
she smashed five half-centuries and from a short break in December to lia’s successful Ashes series against Healy then had a pair of low
two centuries to put further accolades help England record a 3-0 series sweep England, but 2022 was all about the scores (15 against New Zealand and
on an already impressive resume. over the West Indies in the Caribbean. ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, three against the West Indies) before
The majority of those big scores During that series, Sciver scored which began in New Zealand in early scoring an important 72 from just 65
came during the ICC Women’s Crick- knocks of 90 and 85 to unsurprisingly March. deliveries in Australia’s crucial group
et World Cup, with Sciver helping her- finish as the leading run-scorer for the The Australian opener began the match against India in Auckland.

ICC nominates southpaw Smriti Mandhana for

Women’s T20I Cricketer of Year award

ndia’s explosive opener Smriti Mandha- 13 off the final three balls (4, 6, 3). This turned
na has been nominated for Women’s T20I out to be a total well enough for India as they
ICricketer of 2022 for consecutive years as restricted Australia to 16/1, sealing a memora-
announced by the International Cricket Council ble win in front of a roaring crowd.
on Thursday. Pakistan all-rounder Nida Dar, became the
Mandhana was nominated along with three first Pakistan cricketer to take 100 T20I wickets
other outstanding performers in the T20 for- and became the second-highest wicket-taker in
mat. Pakistan’s Nida Dar, New Zealand’s So- Women’s T20Is although her batting exploits
phie Devine and Australia’s Tahlia McGrath. were much more impressive in 2022.
Mandhana had a successful year, breaking re- This year, she scored three fifty-plus to-
cords along the way, including the fastest fif- tals: an undefeated fifty at the Commonwealth
ty by an Indian woman (off just 23 balls) and Games, identical performances against India
breaking the 2500-run barrier in T20 Interna- at the Asia Cup, and a well-made 61 at home
tionals. She also left her mark on the Women’s against Ireland in November.
T20 Asia Cup in Bangladesh and the memora- Dar excelled in the Asia Cup, scoring 145
ble five-match T20I home series against Austra- runs in six matches at an impressive average
lia toward the end of a successful year. of 72.50 and taking eight wickets for just 14.87
The second T20I of the bilateral series runs each. She was also selected as the ICC
against Australia in December of 2022 saw Women’s Player of the Month for October for
Mandhana’s most thrilling innings of the year. Smriti Mandhana (ANI) her outstanding all-around performance.
Mandhana smashed a 49-ball 79 while chas- In the shortest format, Dar’s greatest per-
ing Australia’s 187/1 in front of almost 47,000 formance of the year came against India in the
people at the DY Patil stadium in Mumbai, the and she helped India tie the game at 187/5 to force Asia Cup. Dar joined captain Bismah Maroof
highest attendance for a women’s cricket event a Super Over contest. after a rocky start that left Pakistan floundering
in India. India batted first in the Super Over, scoring a at 33/3 at the end of the Powerplay. They formed
She was India’s leading scorer in the game, respectable total of 20/1, of which Mandhana hit an important partnership of 76 runs together.

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