Women’s ODI team of the year 2022


image-lca86pvhHarmanpreet Kaur celebrates ton against England [Twitter]

The year 2022 for ODIs was a significant one, with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup being the highlight of the 12-month package.

As ICC’s cricketing calendar opens its 2023 chapter, here we take a look back and form 2022’s finest set of women’s ODI playing XI.

Laura Wolvaardt (Opener)

South African Laura Wolvaardt topped the run-scoring charts across all ODIs played out in 2022. The 23-year-old listed 882 runs, and crossed the 50-plus mark on nine occasions in just 18 innings. She was also among the top five highest run-aggregators at the 2022 ODI World Cup in New Zealand.

Alyssa Healy (Opener and Wicket-keeper)

Alyssa Healy scored 600 runs in her 12 matches of the year, with 509 of them coming at the 2022 World Cup. She blasted a match-winning 170 in the final, an innings which earned her side another World Cup title and herself a ‘Player of the Tournament’ memento.

Healy was also among the four cricketers nominated by ICC for ODI Player of the Year award.

Nat Sciver (All-rounder)

Nat Sciver’s 833 runs and 11 wickets makes her one of the standout performers of the year. She carried her fine tune from the World Cup to the year-end series against West Indies, where she drove her side to an emphatic 3-0 win.

Harmanpreet Kaur (Batter)

Harmanpreet Kaur led India to an emphatic 3-0 series triumph in England, with her 143* in the second game crafting a huge win for the ‘Women in Blue’. Overall, the batting barbarian bludgeoned bowling attacks throughout the year to outscore every other batter barring two, Wolvaardt and Sciver.

She piled up 754 runs at an average of 58, with two tons and five half-centuries to her name.

Meg Lanning (Captain)

Meg Lanning, who led Australia to an undefeated World Cup 2022 crown, is fittingly picked to lead our dream team of the year. The Australian veteran starred with the bat too, by charting 479 runs in 12 innings before taking a break from the game.

Amelia Kerr (All-rounder)

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr, with 676 runs, finished the year as its sixth highest run-getter in ODIs. On top of that, she also snared 17 wickets in 18 matches through her legbreaks. Unsurprisingly, she is one of the frontrunners to win big at the ICC Awards.

Hayley Matthews (All-rounder)

Apart from being one of the leading wicket-takers of the year (26), West Indies’ all-rounder Hayley Matthews also recorded 489 runs to her batting register in 2022.

Sophie Ecclestone (Spinner)

England spinner Sophie Ecclestone bagged 34 wickets in just 20 matches, and was the leading wicket-taker at the 2022 World Cup. She also holds a penchant for scoring in the death overs, as evidenced by her 198 runs this year, all at crucial junctures for her side.

Renuka Singh (Fast bowler)

Renuka Singh claimed 18 wickets in her first year of ODI cricket, despite featuring in just seven matches since her debut in February. The Indian pacer holds the best bowling average of the year among all bowlers with more than 10 wickets. Moreover, she is nominated as one of the emerging cricketers of the year by the ICC.

Ayabonga Khaka (Fast bowler)

South Africa’s speed gun Ayabonga Khaka struck 27 times for her country in 17 innings throughout 2022. The speedster also collected a five-fer, which turned out to be her career-best spell.

Shabnim Ismail (Fast bowler)

One of ODI’s most proficient pacers, Shabnim Ismail, finished the year with a staggering 37-wicket collection from just 17 matches. Her incredible tally also inched her closer towards the 200-wicket mark in ODIs, a threshold previously scaled only by former Indian speedster Jhulan Goswami.


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