Jaw-dropping knocks and being a non-stop threat with the ball have helped England's Nat Sciver claim the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year, ICC announced on Thursday.
In total Sciver slammed 1346 runs and bagged 22 wickets in 33 matches in the year, captaining England for much of her side's home summer. The sublime all-rounder produced brilliant performances across all formats and frequently delivered against the highest calibre of opposition. Run-scoring is Sciver's primary quality, and her runs came in a beautiful fashion too, with the right-hander carving out a deserved reputation as one of the most pleasing batters to watch in the game. But the pivotal moments were where Sciver really shone. She excelled at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022, finishing third in scoring and significantly contributing to England's advancement to the championship match. And in the actual final, Sciver finished unbeaten with a stunning 148* from just 121 balls, offering the champions Australia the stiffest resistance. In both of her team's Test matches against South Africa this year, she was the star performer in Test cricket. Her stunning 169* placed England in total command of the second Test. However, she achieved her career high in One Day Internationals, hitting 833 runs at an average of slightly under 60 and a strike rate of 91.43. Additionally, she collected significant wickets throughout the year, but her career-best statistics of 4/59 against South Africa were the standout. "I've been really happy with my form this year," ICC quoted Sciver saying after picking up yet another award for her 2022 performances - the England PCA Player of the Year Award. "It's weird to think that the World Cup was this year too. The two centuries in the World Cup were really special, and the Test match innings against South Africa was brilliant too. As cricketers we are perfectionists and often remember the negative things that have happened so it's hard to remember all the good things but there have been some great memories and highlights," she added. (ANI)
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