ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022: 3 exciting players who can make a mark
After a Covid-19 imposed delay of about a year, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will finally kick-off in New Zealand from Friday, March 4 to Sunday, April 3, 2022. Considering the surge in viewership for women’s cricket after the previous World Cup in 2017, the 12th edition of the tournament that dates back to 1973, is expected to garner a lot of attention.
New Zealand, the host nation, has statistically been the best place to score runs since 2017. Beautiful batting conditions mean that this World Cup is destined to be a high-scoring tournament.
Women’s cricket over the years has displayed its fair share of superstars and this tournament should be no different. The prime focus of this edition will be on the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Laura Wolvaardt, Ellyse Perry, and Sophie Devine as they are expected to light up the tournament with their dazzling performances.
To add to these established players, there is quite a lot of exciting young talent coming through from around the world. Here are the three young, dynamic players to watch out for in this tournament:
#3 Annabel Sutherland
As a hard-hitting all-rounder with a solid technical base, Annabel Sutherland has made quite a reputation for herself. She first came into the limelight when she bowled two deliveries to legendary Sachin Tendulkar during the Bushfire Bash. In her young international and WBBL career, Sutherland has shown enough skill to be regarded as the next superstar of women’s cricket.
During the fourth innings of an Ashes Test a month ago, she displayed excellent bowling skills to prevent England from pulling off a record chase and ended up with five wickets for the match. With some recent form on her side in the World Cup warm-up games and the Ashes, she is expected to play a crucial role in Australia’s World Cup campaign.
#2 Yastika Bhatia
An exciting young batter who plays for Baroda in the Indian domestic setup, Yastika Bhatia has shown enough promise at the international level. She has played seven ODIs so far in her budding career and has already notched up a few important innings. A fluid technique with the natural watchability factor of a left-handed batter complements her intent to score in the top order.
She has had two decent outings of 58 and 42 runs in the World Cup warm-up games, following up on some valuable knocks in the ODI series in New Zealand. With Shafali Verma struggling to find form, Bhatia could move up the order to partner Mandhana and the two left-handers could make merry in the powerplay.
#1 Amelia Kerr
The talented all-rounder from Wellington became the youngest batter (male or female) to hit a double-hundred across formats in international cricket when she smashed 232 off 145 balls as a 17-year-old against Ireland in June 2018. Amelia Kerr also broke the world record (previously held by Belinda Clarke) for the highest individual score in women’s ODI cricket. To top off all these 'firsts', she also picked up five wickets in that match and launched herself into folklore.
Three quiet years went by after that Dublin miracle as Kerr struggled to find form amidst limited opportunities and the pandemic. However, she has found the perfect time to be among runs and is currently in the form of her life. Kerr has smashed 509 runs in her last 9 ODIs at a staggering average of 85.
Amelia Kerr was awarded the Player of the Series award for her brilliant run in the five-match ODI series against India Women.
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She continued her dream run in the World Cup warm-up games with a blistering 92 off 75 balls to help her team chase Australia’s daunting 321 without breaking a sweat. The move to the number 3 position has certainly worked out well for her. With her classic leg-spin bowling and batting prowess, she might well be a potential Player of the Tournament in the World Cup.