Ireland is grooming an excellent group of exuberant youngsters out of which, a few of them have already established themselves as stalwarts making the country proud at the international level, making them a formidable force to reckon with as a side in the near future. The success stories of a few of the Ireland International stars make them ambassadors of the sport in Ireland, inspiring the young kids to take up the sport. Nominees for the Ireland’s Annual Awards 2023 are announced.
The nominees for Cricket Ireland’s Annual Awards are as follows:
Amy Hunter
The 18-year-old wicket-keeper batter known for her power game with the bat is on an upward curve, having made her international debut on 24th May 2021 in a T20I against Scotland as a 15-year-old young prodigy. She scored a memorable half-century against Australia in the 1st ODI on 25th July 2023. She followed that up with another half-century against Scotland. She scored 168 runs in 8 innings in the ODI format in the year 2023. Her tally of runs includes a couple of half-centuries. As far as the T20I format is concerned, she scored 288 runs at a strike rate of 110.34 and an average of 26.18 in 12 innings. She is one of the nominees for the International Women’s Cricketer of the Year.
Arlene Kelly
The 30-year-old all-rounder had a decent year with the ball as she picked up 9 wickets at an average of 31.77 and an economy of 4.84 in 7 innings in 2023 in the ODI format. As far as the T20I format is concerned, she picked up 19 wickets with the ball with an impressive average of 11.45 and an economy of 5.86 in 11 innings. Her best performance with the ball came on 14th August 2023 against the Netherlands when she returned with exceptional match figures (5/12) in her spell. She is one of the nominees for the award. She is in with a chance to make it a back-to-back triumph for the Player of the Year Award.
Gaby Lewis
The 22-year-old young opening batter known for her power-hitting has already established herself as one of the stalwarts and one of the most experienced players for Ireland having made her International debut on 9th September 2014 in a T20I against South Africa as a 12-year-old prodigy. She scored 306 runs at a strike rate of 66.95 and an impressive average of 43.71 in 8 innings in the ODI format. Her tally of runs included a couple of half-centuries. Her best performance with the bat came on 1st July 2023 against West Indies when she scored an unbeaten 95 at a strike rate of 78.51.
As far as the T20I format is concerned, she scored 271 runs at a strike rate of 105.44 and an average of 30.11 in 12 innings. She is one of the prime contenders to claim the Player of the Year award.
Orla Prendergast
The 21-year-old all-rounder made her international debut on 8th August 2019 in a T20I against the Netherlands as a 16-year-old prodigy. She scored 248 runs at a strike rate of 77.25 and an average of 35.42 in 8 innings in the ODI format. Her tally of runs included a couple of half-centuries. Her best performance with the bat came on 28th July 2023 in the 3rd ODI against Australia when she scored 71 runs at a strike rate of 65.13. She also picked up a couple of wickets in 5 innings in the ODI format.
As far as the T20I format is concerned, she scored 196 runs at a strike rate of 103.70 in 11 innings. She also picked up 5 wickets with the ball in 11 innings. She is one of the prime contenders for the Player of the Year award.