New Delhi, Jan 27: India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has been named the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2024.

She pipped Australia all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu and South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt to win the top honour for the second time after 2018.

Smriti, the left-handed opener, had a fantastic 2024 as she finished as the highest run-scorer in women’s ODIs with an impressive 747 runs coming in just 13 matches, the most number of runs she’s scored in a calendar year in the 50-over format, coming at an impressive average of 57.86 and strike rate of 95.15.

She also scored four ODI centuries in the year and set a new record in the women’s game. Her year in ODIs began modestly with 29 against Australia in January. But when India returned to action in ODIs against South Africa in June, Smriti was in blistering form.

She smashed consecutive centuries in the first two ODIs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and narrowly missed a third with a 90-run knock in the series finale, as India won the series 3-0 with Smriti adjudged the Player of the Series for amassing 343 runs.

Smriti’s consistency in ODIs was evident once again in October when she ended a shaky series against New Zealand with a stunning century at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. She capped off the year with an excellent 105 at the WACA against Australia, though it ended up in a losing cause.

It was a knock where Smriti hit 14 fours and one six in her impressive century coming off 109 balls while the rest of the Indian side managed to score just seven boundaries combined in the innings. Smriti ended the year by delivering a strong show against the West Indies, narrowly missing out on a hundred but hit two half-centuries in a series win for India.

(IANS)

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