Melie Kerr breaks AUS-IND-ENG dominance to script history by winning Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

New Zealand all-rounder Melie Kerr clinched the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy after being crowned the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2024. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Kerr as the winner of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year at the ICC Awards.

Melie Kerr outshined the South African batter Laura Wolvaardt, Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu, and Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for her outstanding all-round performance for the White Ferns in 2024.

Melie Kerr creates history by winning the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2024 award

With this honor, Kerr has made history by becoming the first New Zealander to win this prestigious Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. The youngster also achieved another groundbreaking achievement as she became the first White Ferns player to be crowned the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in any category, further cementing her legacy as a premier player.

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Notably, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was first introduced in 2017, and since then, the prestigious honor has traditionally been dominated by top cricketers from Australia, India, and England. Australia’s Ellyse Perry, India's Smriti Mandhana, and England's Nat Sciver-Brunt have each claimed the award twice, but this time, Kerr broke the trend.

She cemented her status as one of the world's finest all-rounders with her exceptional performances throughout the year for the New Zealand women’s national cricket team. Kerr was amazing in all three formats of the game, consistently delivering match-winning performances for the White Ferns.

It's a huge honor to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Melie Kerr

After winning the award, Melie Kerr said in an ICC video: “It's a huge honor 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.”

She added, “It's nice to be able to contribute to New Zealand; I guess that's all any cricketer wants: 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.”

After a stellar 2024, capped off by a #T20WorldCup triumph, Melie Kerr wins the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award as ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 👏 pic.twitter.com/4Ayf15zRij

— ICC (@ICC) January 28, 2025

Melie Kerr's 2024 performance highlighted in numbers

As a leg-spinner, Melie Kerr was a lethal weapon and go-to strike bowler for the White Ferns across the formats. She scalped 14 wickets in 9 ODIs last year. But her best came in the T20I cricket, where the star all-rounder bagged 29 wickets in 18 T20Is for the New Zealand Women.

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With her outstanding performance in the T20I cricket, Kerr became the player with the most wickets in a single calendar year. She managed 15 wickets at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 and finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and set a record for the most wickets ever taken by a bowler in the event's history.

Speaking about her batting performance in 2024, Melie Kerr showcased versatility and resilience with the bat for the White Ferns. Whether building on solid starts or rescuing innings when early wickets fell, she remained a dependable force in New Zealand's batting line-up.

The 24-year-old amassed 264 runs at an average of 33 in 9 ODIs, while in 18 T20Is, Kerr scored 387 runs at an average of 24.18 for the New Zealand women’s national cricket team last year.