Amelia Kerr’s meteoric rise reached dazzling new heights as she clinched the prestigious Debbie Hockley Medal at the New Zealand Cricket Awards, capping off what can only be described as a dream year. The 24-year-old all-rounder not only stood out on the domestic stage but also conquered the global arena, cementing her place among the elite in women’s cricket.
In 2024, Kerr’s performance turned heads and broke records. She was the driving force behind New Zealand’s historic triumph at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup held in the United Arab Emirates. The White Ferns lifted the trophy for the very first time, defeating South Africa in a gripping final, and it was Kerr who orchestrated the victory with a spectacular all-round show. Her match-winning 43 runs and three wickets in the final earned her the Player of the Match award.
Throughout the tournament, Kerr was unstoppable. She finished as the leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets in just six T20Is, maintaining an exceptional economy rate of 4.85. Her contributions with the bat were equally valuable—she notched up 135 runs at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 90. Her dominance across matches earned her the coveted Player of the Tournament title. In doing so, she shattered Anya Shrubsole’s long-standing record of 13 wickets in a single edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup, a feat previously set in 2014 in Bangladesh.
Kerr’s brilliance wasn’t confined to the World Cup alone. Over the course of the year, she delivered consistently in both T20Is and ODIs. In 18 T20 Internationals, she amassed 387 runs at an average of 24.18 and scalped 29 wickets. Her ODI performance was equally impressive, tallying 264 runs in nine matches at an average of 33, alongside claiming 14 wickets.
Her efforts did not go unnoticed on the world stage. Kerr was honored with the ICC Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year—an award that celebrates the most impactful player across all formats. To win the award, she edged out top contenders including South African star Laura Wolvaardt, Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu, and Australia’s emerging force, Annabel Sutherland.
With this accolade, Kerr etched her name alongside legends of the game. She became only the fourth woman to claim the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award, joining the ranks of England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, Australia’s Ellyse Perry, and India’s Smriti Mandhana—all of whom have won the honor twice. Introduced in 2017, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy stands as one of the highest individual recognitions in women’s cricket, and Kerr’s name now gleams on that elite list.
Winning the Debbie Hockley Medal—the top individual award in New Zealand women’s cricket—was the perfect culmination to an extraordinary year for Amelia Kerr. Her 2024 season was not just a personal triumph but a landmark in the history of New Zealand cricket.
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