The last month of 2022 witnessed some fascinating cricketing contests that invariably produced some class performances by players who have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award. The nominees include a stellar list of players.
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Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
Suzie Bates continues to defy odds and logic as she continued to display her prolific form in December as she was phenomenal in the home series versus Bangladesh. Scoring 70 runs at an average of 23.3 in the T20I series, she really came into her own in the 50-over matches. The unbeaten 93* in Wellington and the half-century in Hamilton were remarkable knocks of grit and tenacity as she ended the series with a whopping 153 runs, remaining not out twice and deservingly was crowned the ‘Player of the Series’.
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Ashleigh Gardner (Australia)
Ashleigh Gardner at 25 is really showing why she is one of the most sought-after all-rounders in world cricket as she was quite literally the difference between the two sides in the India versus Australia series. She was in a rich vein of form with the bat and the ball during the competitive five-match series and not only did she bag the ‘Player of the Series’ award but she also achieved the number 1 ranked all-rounder in Women’s T20Is. She struck the ball beautifully through the series and amassed 115 runs at an impressive average of 57.5 and with the ball she scalped seven wickets. Her contributions certainly did not go unnoticed and paved the way for a famous 4-1 series victory for Australia.
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Charlie Dean (England)
Another emerging star who is making the right noises is Charlie Dean. It was in the series versus West Indies that she really shone and showed the world what she is capable of. Returning with a haul of 18 wickets in the limited-overs series, she was simply outstanding. In the ODI series, she scalped 7 wickets at a mouth-watering average of 8.5 and in the T20I series she scalped 11 wickets at an average of 5.9 and finished as the leading wicket-taker. What was also noteworthy is the economy rates she was bowling in, as in the 50-over games, she was at 2.92 and in the T20Is at 4.64 which is remarkable and goes to show how she singlehandedly plotted the downfall of the floundering West Indies batting. Her cameo of 20 in the 4th T20I was also memorable and she capped off an excellent tour of the Caribbean with these unforgettable performances and is certainly growing from strength to strength.
🚨ICC Player of the Month – December 2022 Nominations are here
🇳🇿Suzie Bates (NZ)
🏴Charlie Dean (ENG)
🇦🇺Ashleigh Gardner (AUS)Who has your vote?#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/BTe6NjFTvl
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 5, 2023
I am a first year postgraduate student pursuing a MA in Media and Communication Studies at Christ University, Bengaluru. I am a podcaster, blogger and an avid cricket fan. When not glued to cricket matches, you can find me submerged in books and thinking about cricket all the time.