From Kate Anderson’s hat trick to Melie Kerr’s double delight to Suzie Bates and Gabby Sullivan’s apiece, below is how the ANZ New Zealand Cricket Awards ceremony in Auckland, on the 23rd of March unfolded for the country’s women cricketers.
Melie Kerr, who is currently in India for the ongoing, inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League claimed the introductory, Debbie Hockley Medal, which is named after the New Zealand great for being the country’s women’s cricketer of the year. Kerr also was pronounced as the ANZ women’s T20I Player of the Year.
The leg-spinning all-rounder was New Zealand’s 2nd highest run-scorer in Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket with 423 runs that’d come at an average of 32.53, a strike-rate 112.20 and was the joint, 2nd highest wicket-taker with 17 to her name at an average of 20.41, an economy rate of 5.52. In the long format of white-ball cricket, in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Kerr holds a healthy average of 40.66 with the bat.
Suzie Bates’ consistent run with the bat helped her take home the ANZ women’s ODI Player of the Year award. The veteran opener contributed significantly with the bat against both the West Indies and Bangladesh, as she struck 3 half centuries, had the highest score of 93*, and averaged 55.55.
𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝑲𝒆𝒓𝒓 is awarded the Inaugural Debbie Hockley Medal for her all-round brilliance across formats 🤩🎉#CricketTwitter #ANZNZCAwards pic.twitter.com/ddj1iFnssQ
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) March 23, 2023
Kate Anderson’s break-out year for Canterbury with the bat, saw her win the Ruth Martin Cup for domestic women’s batting, the women’s Super Smash Player of the Year award, and was also named the women’s domestic Player of the Year. Kate scored record-breaking 536 runs at an average of 59.55, a strike rate of 115.02.
Canterbury’s Gabby Sullivan was awarded the Phyl Blackler Cup for women’s domestic bowling. Gabby led the wicket-takers chart in the Super Smash with 21 scalps to her name at an impressive average of 12.38, and an economy rate of 5.89. She also topped the list in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, in which she took 21 wickets at an average of 15.05, and an economy rate of 3.88.
𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐫 is named the International Women’s T20 Player of the Year by the New Zealand Cricket Awards 🥳#CricketTwitter #ANZNZCAwards 📸 Getty pic.twitter.com/noWQv9H6zR
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) March 23, 2023
Brief:
Debbie Hockley Medal: Melie Kerr
ANZ Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Melie Kerr
ANZ Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Suzie Bates
Women’s Domestic Player of the Year: Kate Anderson (Canterbury Magicians)
Women’s Super Smash Player of the Year: Kate Anderson (Canterbury Magicians)
The Ruth Martin Cup for women’s domestic batting: Kate Anderson (Canterbury Magicians)
The Phyl Blackler Cup for women’s domestic bowling: Gabby Sullivan (Canterbury Magicians)