ICC Awards 2022: Tahlia McGrath T20 cricketer of the year; Renuka Singh Thakur wins emerging player honour

India vice-captain and last year’s Cricketer of the Year Smriti Mandhana lost out to Australia’s Tahlia McGrath in the women’s T20 category.

Published : Jan 25, 2023 19:28 IST

Tahlia McGrath and Renuka Singh Thakur
Tahlia McGrath and Renuka Singh Thakur | Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
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Tahlia McGrath and Renuka Singh Thakur | Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

India’s newest fast-bowling star Renuka Singh became the recipient of ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year Award.

There has been a buzz surrounding Renuka, who burst into life in a busy 12 months for the Indian women’s team. The 26-year-old beat Australia’s Darcie Brown, England’s Alice Capsey and compatriot Yastika Bhatia to take home the emerging player award.

The right-armer claimed 40 wickets for her country in 2022 in just 29 matches across the two white-ball formats, filling the void left by the great Jhulan Goswami.

In the ODI game, Renuka was especially potent, taking 18 wickets at an average of just 14.88, of which eight came in two appearances against England and seven in India’s series with Sri Lanka.

Renuka troubled the Australian line-up in the seven T20I meetings across the year, taking eight wickets, and her performances across the Commonwealth Games and Asia Cup also grabbed attention. She claimed 17 wickets in 11 matches, at an economy of just 5.21.

With an ability to swing the ball and get it to deviate off the surface, Renuka will likely be one of India’s most dependable bowlers in the coming years.

“It was a dream for me making my debut for India in late 2021, and to be identified as the leading emerging talent in the women’s game gives me great confidence that I am on the right track. I have received great support from my teammates and coaches along the way, and I would like to thank them all for their encouragement over the past 12 months and more,” Thakur told ICC.

”It is a privilege to know that I was chosen for this award not only by the voting panel, but by fans around the world. I am truly humbled to be named the ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year, and I will use this to drive me and my team forward, not least as we approach next month’s Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa,” she added.

India vice-captain and last year’s Cricketer of the Year Smriti Mandhana lost out to Australia’s Tahlia McGrath in the women’s T20 category.

ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year Tahlia McGrath reached the summit of the T20I batter rankings back in December, and despite only having made her debut for Australia in late 2021, her rise to the top has seen plenty of individual and team success.

Across several notable performances in the format during the year, she registered 435 runs at an average of 62.14. One of those moments came in her side’s Commonwealth gold-medal-winning campaign in Birmingham, starring against Pakistan with an unbeaten 78 and three wickets – a display which helped her win the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for August.

McGrath expressed delight. “It’s an incredible honour to be named the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, especially with so many incredible players across the world taking to the game to the next level,” she told ICC.

“It’s been a great year for the team in the T20 format, winning the first ever women’s cricket gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and beating India at home; this is a really nice way to cap it off,” she added.

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