ICC Names Smriti Mandhana As ICC Women's Cricketer Of The Year 2021

Updated - 24 Jan 2022, 05:03 PM

Smriti Mandhana. (Photo: Twitter)

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Indian opener Smriti Mandhana has won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2021.

The year 2021 belongs to Indian opening batter Smriti Mandhana, who was consistent with her performances throughout the year. She was the star performer in the women’s cricket scene and remained dominant against every opposition.

In the year 2021, she played 22 international matches for India and scored 855 runs at a good average of 38.86 including one marvellous century and five amazing fifties.

Even though India as a team struggled in 2021, Smriti continued to dominate with her performances.

In the home series against South Africa, India won just two out of eight white-ball matches and Mandhana played a vital role in those two victories India earned. She scored an unbeaten 80 in the second ODI and helped India chase 158 runs. Also in a T20I game, she played the 48-run knock to help India win the game.

Smriti Mandhana and Jhulan Goswami. Credits: Twitter

Meanwhile, in the series against England, Mandhana played a knock of 78 in the first innings of the one-off Test that ended in a draw. In the ODI game, she played a crucial knock of 49 to help India win the match. However, her 29-run knock and half-century went in vain in T20Is as India lost the series by 2-1.

In the series against Australia, Smriti Mandhana looked brilliant. In the second One Day International game, she smashed 86 runs. In the Test match, she smashed a brilliant century and was awarded the Player of the Match. Also, in the T20I series, she smashed a fifty but India lost the series by 2-0.

Smriti Mandhana’s Most Memorable Knock Of The Year 2021

The most memorable knock of the year 2021 for the 25-year-old came in India’s first-ever pink-ball Test. As she smashed her maiden century in the purest format of the game. Smriti Mandhana played her natural game and completed a run-a-ball half-century.

She was even caught on 80 but was given a reprieve after Ellyse Perry overstepped. She utilised every bit of the opportunity she got and smashed her maiden Test century. Her innings ended at the score of 127 and the match eventually ended in a draw and she won the Player of the Match award.

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