Former West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira was awarded the Hummingbird Gold Medal. Following this achievement, Cricket West Indies congratulated the former Windies captain on receiving this illustrious award.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Dr. Kishore Shallow, expressed heartfelt congratulations to Merissa Aguilleira for her recognition and acknowledged her significant contributions to cricket. Dr. Kishore emphasized Merissa’s dedication and the impact she has had on the sport, serving as a source of inspiration to others.
“On behalf of the CWI Board and Management, I extend our heartfelt congratulations to Merissa for the well-deserved recognition conferred upon her. Merissa’s exemplary dedication and outstanding contributions serve as an inspiration to us all. As she embraces and embarks on other influential roles in cricket, particularly to develop other young athletes, we express our gratitude for her ongoing commitment and wish her continued success,” stated Dr. Shallow.
The Hummingbird Gold Medal is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s highest honors, recognizing loyal and devoted service beneficial to Trinidad and Tobago in any field of human endeavor or for gallantry or other humane actions.
Though Merissa Aguilleira retired from international cricket in 2019, she continues to be an inspiration for aspiring cricketers, especially women pursuing careers in the sport. Her remarkable journey and accomplishments exemplify the significant progress of women’s cricket. As both a player and a leader, Aguilleira has made a lasting impact on the game, creating pathways for future generations of female cricketers.
It was in 2008 that she started her international career and played over 100 ODIs for the Windies. She captained the Windies side during the period from 2009 to 2015, leading the team to the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2013 held in India and the semi-finals in the respective editions of 2010, 2012, and 2014. Merissa was also part of the Windies side that won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2016.
Representing the West Indies as a wicketkeeper-batter, Merissa made her ODI debut against the Netherlands in 2008 and has played over 100 ODIs, scoring more than 1,700 runs and achieving over 100 dismissals in the one-day format. In the T20I format, she made her debut in the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2009 against South Africa. She has played 95 T20Is, scoring over 768 runs in the shorter format of the game, with 72 dismissals to her name as a wicketkeeper.