England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year for the second year...
For the second year in a row, Nat Sciver-Brunt has been named as the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. The player remained in prime form throughout the year, with some of her most remarkable knocks coming in 2023’s Women’s Ashes against Australia.
Sciver-Brunt overcame challenge from Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, and the Australia pair of Ash Gardner and Beth Mooney.
Record in 2023: 894 runs and nine wickets in 18 games
Similar to last year, Sciver-Brunt was at her dominant best in ODI cricket.
From only six games, she scored 393 runs with an average of 131, which included three tons. This brought her total number of ODI tons to eight, now just one behind England’s national record jointly held by Tammy Beaumont and Charlotte Edwards (nine each).
She also had sturdy knocks in her two Test outings of the year, hitting two fifties against Australia and India respectively.
Sciver-Brunt was England’s highest run-getter at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, scoring 216 runs at a strike rate of 141.17. She continued performing throughout the year, contributing with a brilliant 77 against India to set a vehement England win at Wankhede in December. She also picked up nine wickets with the ball.
Sciver-Brunt won the Player of the Series award during the Ashes series against Australia, but shined in particular during the ODI leg.
After a handy 31 and 2/38 which helped England win the first ODI, Sciver-Brunt delivered one of her best performances in the second game.
England needed to win to tie with Australia on the points table and head into the final ODI with a chance of winning the Ashes. Sciver-Brunt was economical in the first innings, conceding 44 runs in her quota of overs. However, Australia managed a strong target of 283. The ask was always difficult, and as England lost crucial wickets in the middle overs, the required rate picked up.
However, Sciver-Brunt held her own and kept scoring at a fast pace. Forging important stands with Beaumont, Amy Jones, and Sarah Glenn, the all-rounder took the game to the very last ball. England needed five off one to keep the Ashes alive but Sciver-Brunt could only manage a single. It was her fighting century (111*) that kept England in the game after they were 144/5 and 213/7 at one stage.
She scored a hundred once more in the third game, this time in a comfortable win for England.
(ICC)
