It’s cricket’s ultimate prize, and it is now Amelia Kerr’s. A superb year with both bat and ball, has culminated in the silverware, something that’s been eluding New Zealand for several years. Her glory though was someone’s heartbreak. And meanwhile, after returning home from a group stage exit, the Women in Blue quickly got back to the grind of domestic cricket. Let’s dive in.

2024 Women’s T20 World Cup

Amelia Kerr: It simply doesn’t get any bigger than this. The Player of the Tournament, the Player of the Match in the Final, she was on fire in the UAE with her all-round show! Two wickets in the semi-final against West Indies, a 38-ball 43 in the Final against South Africa, followed by a spell of 3/24 to choke their batting and seal the game, she’s at the peak of her game. And we couldn’t be more proud!

Chloe Tryon: A dream run that saw South Africa avenge their 2023 World Cup Final loss against Australia with a stunning win over the defending champions in the semi-final, ended, sadly, in tears. Chloe Tryon was at her consistent best in the knockouts as well, with tight spells of 0/25 and 1/22 in the two games respectively. Alas, it wasn’t enough to get her side over the line against the White Ferns.

Hayley Matthews: She led the Windies to pull off a massive upset against England and march into the semi-final, but that would be it. Against New Zealand in the semis, she bowled just the one over and couldn’t get going with the bat (15 off 21 balls). Nevertheless, she can hold her head up high, as can the rest of her side!

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Senior Women’s T20 Trophy

Humairaa Kaazi (Mumbai): Her anchored knock of 76 went in vain against Andhra as they chased Mumbai’s total down quite easily.

Saika Ishaque (Bengal): A couple of two-fers in her two games leading Bengal to victory in both of them. Both miserly too, 2/10 against Saurashtra and 2/11 against Hyderabad. Our left-arm spinner’s back to doing what she does best!

Yastika Bhatia (Baroda): Three games, three quick starts. 30 off 21 against Manipur, 14 off 8 against Jharkhand, 20 off 15 against Saurashtra. What better way to put the sadness of the group stage exit at the World Cup behind!

Priyanka Bala (Bengal): She was out there hitting the winning runs against Hyderabad with her knock of 17 off 15 balls, and the game was done before she was needed with the bat against Saurashtra.

Jintimani Kalita (Assam): Three games and three tight spells with the ball. She might not be among the wickets yet, but she’s doing well to hold up one end and prevent the opposition from running away with the game.

Amandeep Kaur (Haryana): A couple of tough games with the ball for our Haryana girl. 0/32 in three overs against Railways followed by a spell of 0/25 in two overs against Himachal Pradesh. She know how to turn the ball, and this poor start!