Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry has bagged the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's Cricketer of the Year besides also being named as the ICC Women's ODI Player of the Year following her stellar year across formats.
Perry has had an impressive 2019 year, having notched up three centuries-- including one in the Women's Ashes Test. She has averaged 73.50 in 12 ODIs she played this year besides also bagging 21 wickets, including a national record of seven for 22. She also became the first player to complete 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20I cricket.
After picking up the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the second time in three years, Perry said, "It's an amazing honour and I'm a little bit shocked, given how many amazing performances there have been across the year.It's amazing to be acknowledged and I do truly appreciate it. It’s a really nice way to finish the year on a personal note."
On being named the ODI Player of the Year, Perry said that she feels privileged to have got a chance to tour so consistently with the Australian team.
"It's been nice to have a chance to tour so consistently with the Australian team. It's been an amazing year, I've really enjoyed all of it and it's just been nice to be a part of it.It's so exciting that the T20 World Cup is here at home early next year and with the target of the final at the MCG it could be a really special moment in the game’s history," the ICC official website quoted the Australian women all-rounder as saying.
Perry dominated the crease throughout 2019 alongside opening partner and fellow award winner Alyssa Healy.
Healy has been named as T20I Cricketer of the Year by the world's cricket governing body for the second year running. She entered the record books in October, scoring a world record 148* off 61 balls against Sri Lanka – the highest score by a woman in T20Is. The wicket-keeper batter also scored a half-century off just 25 balls and her maiden hundred off just 46, for the fastest century ever by an Australian man or woman.
"I'm really pumped to be awarded the T20I Cricketer of the Year.The Australian women's team had a fantastic 12-month period and we played some really consistent T20 cricket. Whilst the individual award is really nice for me personally, I think it was great to see our team play so well throughout that 12-month period, especially leading into a home World Cup in 2020," said Healy after picking up the award.
Both Perry and Healy have also been named in the women's ODI and T20I teams of the year, alongside fellow Australian and national team captain Meg Lanning, who has been named as skipper of both the 50-over and 20-over sides.
Ranked No.1 in both the One-Day and T20 International formats, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup reigning champions will be keen to retain their title on home soil, at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in front of a potential new world record crowd for a women's sporting fixture.
Commencing in Sydney on February 21, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 will also see Thailand compete at their first-ever World Cup – in women's or men's cricket, T20I or 50-over.
Qualification for Australia was assured in Scotland earlier this year at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019, thanks to 12 wickets for just 68 runs from bowler Chanida Sutthiruang, who has been named the ICC's Emerging Cricketer of the Year.
The 26-year-old right-arm seamer has enjoyed outstanding success with the national side this year as they set a new world record of 17 consecutive T20I victories, including victories in a quadrangular series featuring Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands.
