West Indies cricket team captain, Hayley Matthews, has been named as one of the four nominees for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s Twenty20 International Cricketer-of-the-Year award.
The other nominees include Chamari Athapaththu from Sri Lanka, Sophie Ecclestone from England, and Ellyse Perry, an Australian fast-bowling all-rounder.
Matthews, who is 25 years old, has made a remarkable impact in the shortest format of the game this year. She has amassed 700 runs in 14 innings, maintaining an impressive batting average of 63. Additionally, she has contributed significantly with the ball by securing 19 wickets.
Standout moment
One of the standout moments of her career came during West Indies’ three-match series against Australia in October. During this series, Matthews showcased her batting prowess by scoring a staggering 310 runs at an astonishing average of 155. Her exceptional performance was highlighted by her career-best innings, where she scored 132 runs from just 64 balls. In that memorable match, West Indies chased down a record target of 213 runs in North Sydney. Matthews also excelled with the ball, leading her side in the bowling department with five wickets, conceding only 17 runs per wicket.
Matthews’ journey in international cricket began when she made her debut as a teenager. She took over the captaincy of the West Indies team in June of the previous year, succeeding veteran cricketer Stafanie Taylor.
Other nominees
Among the other nominees, Chamari Athapaththu, a 33-year-old all-rounder from Sri Lanka, posted an average of 31 with the bat and claimed eight wickets in 16 matches. England’s 24-year-old left-arm spinner, Sophie Ecclestone, concluded the year with an impressive tally of 23 wickets, averaging just ten runs per wicket. Ellyse Perry, aged 33 and a two-time former winner of the ICC Women’s Cricketer-of-the-Year award, achieved an average of 45 with the bat across 14 matches and secured six wickets at an average of nine runs per wicket.
The winner of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 International Cricketer-of-the-Year award will be officially announced later this month, recognizing the exceptional contributions of these elite female cricketers on the global stage.
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