ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year

ICC Award for Best Women's Cricketer
Presented byICC
First awarded2006
Currently held byEngland Nat Sciver
Most awardsAustralia Ellyse Perry
India Smriti Mandhana
England Nat Sciver-Brunt
(2 each)
WebsiteICC Awards
Sarah Taylor (left) and Ellyse Perry have collectively won a total of nine awards across all three categories.
Sarah Taylor (left) and Ellyse Perry have collectively won a total of nine awards across all three categories.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's Cricketer of the Year (known as the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award since 2017 in memory of pioneering women's cricket player and administrator Rachael Heyhoe Flint[1]) is an award given annually as part of the ICC Awards ceremony.[2][3]

Introduced in 2006, the award adjudges the best-performed female international cricketer across an approximate twelve-month voting period.[4][5] Prior to 2009, each of the top ten women's national teams nominated two players and the final selection was made by a 16-person panel.[6] Since 2009, a long list has been chosen by the ICC Awards voting panel, consisting of cricket administrators, journalists and former players. A subsequent short list is then created by a different, 25-person, board.[4]

Between 2006 and 2011, the award ran as a single category, known as the Women's Player of the Year. From 2012 to 2016, it was separated into two format-specific categories: the Women's ODI Player of the Year and Women's T20I Player of the Year awards. In 2017, an overall Women's Cricketer of the Year category was reintroduced, though the separate awards for One Day and Twenty20 cricket would continue to be presented.

In December 2020, after a reduced amount of international cricket had been played throughout the previous twelve months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICC staged a special edition of its annual awards ceremony to recognise the best players of the past ten years.[7] Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry swept all three major female categories to be named the Women's ODI Player of the Decade, Women's T20I Player of the Decade and overall Women's Cricketer of the Decade.[8]

To date, Perry has received the most awards across all three categories with a total of six wins. New Zealand batter Suzie Bates, England wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor and West Indies all-rounder Stafanie Taylor are the next-most-decorated players across all categories, having won a total of three awards each.

  1. ^ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint: ICC announces annual award to honour ex-England captain". BBC Sport. 8 March 2017. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  2. ^ Cricinfo staff (3 November 2006). "Rolton wins Women's Player of the Year award". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  3. ^ ESPNcricinfo staff (12 September 2011). "Stafanie Taylor wins Women's Cricketer award". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  4. ^ a b ICC Media Release (13 September 2011). "Stafanie Taylor wins ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2011". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 19 May 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ ICC Media Release (6 October 2010). "Nitschke wins ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2010". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 19 May 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ ICC Media Release (10 September 2008). "Charlotte Edwards wins ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2008". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 19 May 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "ICC Awards of the Decade announced". icc-cricket.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Ellyse Perry claims top honours in ICC Awards of the Decade". icc-cricket.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2021.