Three South African, English, and Australian talents who dominated the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup have been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award for February 2023.
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)
The elegant right-hander was in excellent form as she finished with 230 runs at an average of 46 to top all scorers in the T20 World Cup on home turf. Wolvaardt finished the tournament with three half-centuries, the best of which was perhaps his comfortable 61 at the top of the order in the final against Australia, which kept South Africa in the game. Wolvaardt’s innings was ineffective as Australia won the match in Cape Town, but it culminated a streak of three consecutive half-centuries for the right-hander that demonstrated she was at the pinnacle of her skill.
Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)
A stunning combination of performances in February and at the T20 World Cup in South Africa allowed the England superstar to stand out on the big stage once more. During the 20-over showcase, Sciver-Brunt scored a total of 216 runs at an average of 72, but it was the right-remarkable hander’s strike rate of 141.17 that truly stood out. The fact that Sciver-Brunt only had three dismissals during the T20 World Cup lends even more credit to her efforts given that her scoring rate was the fastest among the top 25 run scorers. Sciver-Brunt amassed four scores in South Africa that were above 40, and she also took a wicket against Pakistan with her really useful seamers.
Ash Gardner (Australia)
The Australia all-rounder was at the top of her game for most of February, which was a big factor in how her team won the T20 World Cup for the third time in a row. Gardner not only scored 110 runs at an average of 36.66 during the event, but she also took 10 vital wickets with her off-spin to earn the Player of the Tournament title. Gardner’s finest bowling effort came against New Zealand when she earned the outstanding figures of 5/12, and her best batting performances included scores of 31 and 29 in the semifinal and final match, respectively.
