Amelia Kerr short-listed for top ICC award

White Ferns all-rounder Amelia Kerr is the sole New Zealander nominated for a gong at the ICC Awards 2024.

Kerr was the star of the Twenty20 World Cup, leading the White Ferns to the first major tournament victory since 2000. Kerr was the principal architect of South Africa’s defeat in that final and had another stellar year with bat and ball in which she hit 651 runs and took 43 wickets, not to mention her starring role in a record-breaking campaign as Player of the Tournament at the Women’s T20WC.

Kerr has been nominated for Women’s Cricketer of the Year and Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year. She will be up against Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and Australia’s Annabel Sutherland for the main award.

Athapaththu was an inspirational leader for Sri Lanka, hitting over 1100 runs during the year across formats, taking 30 wickets and famously guiding her team to an historic first Asia Cup success in front of their home crowd.

Leading batter in the ICC Women’s ODI Batter Rankings, Wolvaardt was at her sublime best in 2024, scoring over 1500 runs in all formats, and led from the front as South Africa reached their second successive Women’s T20 World Cup final in the UAE.

Twenty-three-year-old Sutherland wowed during a breakthrough year, hitting the fastest ever double-century in women’s tests against South Africa in February and recording Player of the Series accolades in notable victories over India and New Zealand at the latter end of the year. She ends the year with 615 runs and 37 wickets.

For the men’s major award England’s Harry Brook and Joe Root, who both played key roles in the recent test series win over New Zealand, along with Jasprit Bumrah of India and Australia’s Travis Head have been shortlisted.

Brook produced fireworks in all formats during a memorable year on the international stage, lighting up England’s test, ODI and T20I encounters with explosive hitting and boasting an average of over 50 in all three formats. His compatriot Root earns a nomination following a scintillating year in the longest format, having struck more runs (1556) and more centuries (six) than any other batter.

Another star performer at the peak of his powers in 2024 was India’s pace sensation Bumrah, who dominated batters in World Test Championship duels and inspired India’s surge to glory at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June, clinching the Player of the Tournament with 15 wickets at a phenomenal average of 8.24.

Head is the top ranked men’s T20I batter and will be aiming to go one better than his nomination in the same category last year, after hitting almost 1400 runs across all formats with trademark flair.

Winners of the ICC Awards 2024 will be announced in late January 2025.

ICC Awards 2024 – the complete shortlists
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Harry Brook (ENG), Jasprit Bumrah (IND), Travis Head (AUS), Joe Root (ENG)
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Amelia Kerr (NZ), Annabel Sutherland (AUS), Laura Wolvaardt (SA)
ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year: Harry Brook (ENG), Jasprit Bumrah (IND), Kamindu Mendis (SL), Joe Root (ENG)
ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Kusal Mendis (SL), Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG), Sherfane Rutherford (WI)
ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Smriti Mandhana (IND), Annabel Sutherland (AUS), Laura Wolvaardt (SA)
ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year: Babar Azam (PAK), Travis Head (AUS), Sikandar Raza (ZIM), Arshdeep Singh (IND)
ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year: Chamari Athapaththu (SL), Amelia Kerr (NZ), Orla Prendergast (IRE), Laura Wolvaardt (SA)
ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Gus Atkinson (ENG), Saim Ayub (PAK), Shamar Joseph (WI), Kamindu Mendis (SL)
ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Annerie Dercksen (SA), Saskia Horley (SCO), Shreyanka Patil (IND), Freya Sargent (IRE)

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission