Keeping aside their cricketing gear, Australia’s male and female cricketers on the 30th of January were all suited and glammed up for the return of the yearly, Australia Cricket Awards for the first time in three years at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse. Below is a brief on all of the awardees:
Belinda Clark Award – Beth Mooney
Beth Mooney, the recipient of the award from 2021 claimed her 2nd in three years. The unforgettable year for Beth Mooney sees her as the leading run scorer across all formats in the voting period, accumulating 976 runs at a strike rate of 102.6.
Only last week, the 29-year-old left-hander featured in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) teams of the Year and also was a nominee for the prestigious, Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year that eventually went England’s Nat Scrivers way.
Beth Mooney (129) to claim the award outnumbered, votes of fellow nominees, Australia’s all-format skipper, Meg Lanning (110), and Tahlia McGrath (95).
Alana King and Beth Mooney at the Australian Cricket Awards Night ♥️#CricketTwitter 📸@AusWomenCricket pic.twitter.com/eBZjintYri
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 30, 2023
Women’s T20I Player of the Year – Tahlia McGrath
The 27-year-old all-rounder, late in 2021 made her T20I debut, and in the following year, in only 11 innings got to 435 runs at an average of 62.14, a strike rate of 145.00, and registered a career-best score of 91*. With the ball in 10 innings (24 overs), she struck 13 scalps at an economy rate of 6.95, an average of 12.84, a strike rate of 11.0, and registered the best figures of 3/13.
🤩Tahlia McGrath is named the T20I Player of the Year by #AusCricketAwards 👏#CricketTwitter 📸Getty pic.twitter.com/oKxhSm2bdV
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 30, 2023
Recently, during the ICC Awards, Tahlia McGrath claimed the Women’s T20I Player of the Year Award and to win a similar honour in the Australian Cricket Awards, outnumbered votes of Beth Mooney (27) and Ashleigh Gardner (24) with a 31 against her name.
Women’s ODI Player of the Year – Beth Mooney
The now, 2-time, Belinda Clark Award recipient, Beth Mooney claimed the Women’s ODI Player of the Year on the back of a stellar show that saw her score 403 runs in 10 innings at an average of 100.75, a strike rate of 96.41, and with 3 fifties to her name had the highest score of 73.
Beth Mooney receives the ODI Player of the Year Award 🥳🥳#CricketTwitter #AusCricketAwards 📸Getty pic.twitter.com/RS4mXmjTMB
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 30, 2023
Australia’s home series against Pakistan from early this month was included in the voting period, and she’d notched up her career-best 133 at the Allan Border Field. Beth narrowly claimed the award with 25 votes as she edged past all-format skipper, Meg Lanning (24) and Alyssa Healy (21).
Women’s Domestic Player of the Year – Annabel Sutherland
The 21-year-old pace all-rounder got the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) edition underway with a fine 110* off 101 at the Karen Rolton Oval. It wasn’t long before the Victorian scored 111 from 114 at the Junction Oval and then turned up to the Women’s Big Bash League.
In the Women’s Big Bash League (W-BBL) she was the Melbourne Stars’ leading run scorer, hitting 304 runs at an average of 33.77 including a best score of 62*, and she also topped the wickets tally claiming 21 scalps.
Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning at the Australian Cricket Awards Night ❤️ #CricketTwitter 📸 @AusWomenCricket pic.twitter.com/RTEJURpk62
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 30, 2023
Betty Wilson Young Cricketer – Courtney Sippel
The right-arm quick first was seen in the 05 edition of the W-BBL for Brisbane Heat and was straightaway termed as the one to watch out for. The Queenslanders’ steady rise sees her not far from walking into the senior Australian women’s team following recent A-game appearances.
She featured in Australia A side that played England A last summer and recently, played in the Governor-General’s XI against Pakistan.
Women’s Big Bash League (W-BBL) Player of the Tournament – Ashleigh Gardner
The 08 edition of the W-BBL saw 25-year-old, Ashleigh Gardner after a disappointing previous season, return to the tournament in fine form this summer with both, bat and ball having registered 339 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 153 and bagging 23 wickets to finish as the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Adelaide Strikers’ Megan Schutt.
Her strike rate was the highest of any player to pass 200 runs, while she hit a league-leading 14 sixes. The spin all-rounder happened to be the first Australian since the 04 edition to win the Player of the Season award.
A recent inductee into Australia’s Hall of Fame – Margaret Jennings
The victorian duo of Marg Jennings and Ian Redpath became the most recent, 60th, and 61st inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, which was established in 1996. Following her playing career, Jennings served as a selector for Australia and Victoria, and as Victorian women’s coach. Only last year was Victoria’s Premier Under 18 Competition named after her, the ‘Marg Jennings Cup’.
Marg Jennings was an outstanding wicketkeeper-batter, who captained Australia to their first Women’s ODI World Cup victory in 1978. She played 8 Tests, scoring 341 runs at an average of 28.41 including a couple of fifties and a hundred with her top score being 104. With the gloves, in Test match cricket, she held on to 14 catches and initiated 10 stumpings. She played 12 ODIs, scoring 221 runs at an average of 31.57 with 1 fifty had a top score of 57, and registered 9 catches and a stumping.
