ICC announces women's T20I Team of the Year (2022)
What's the story
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finally announced the women's T20I Team of the Year for 2022. New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine will captain this list. Indian opener Smriti Mandhana made the cut alongside compatriots Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, and Renuka Singh. Notably, India had the most number of selections in the WT20I XI (4). Here's the complete list.
Openers
Mandhana, Mooney are the two openers
Mandhana hoarded 594 runs while striking at 130-plus. She slammed five fifties, one of them against Sri Lanka in the Women's Asia Cup final. She also smoked two fifties in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Aussie batter Mooney averaged 56.12 and tallied 449 runs, including a sublime 61 in the CWG final against India. She also struck two half-centuries against India Women in December.
Devine
Devine fills the number three spot
Devine had a highly productive year on both the batting and bowling fronts. The Kiwi ace managed 389 runs and 13 wickets. She scored back-to-back half-centuries against Australia and England in CWG. With 177 runs at 44.25, Devine wound up as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, only behind Mooney (179). Devine, who bowls medium pace, pocketed six wickets as well.
Gardner
Gardner follows her in the middle order
Gardner finds herself in the mix after a brilliant run with the willow. The right-hander clobbered 216 runs and averaged a monstrous 72.00 (50s: 2). Notably, she became the third Aussie batter to score over 200 WT20I runs in a calendar at an average of 50-plus and strike rate of 150-plus. Rachael Haynes (2018) and Alyssa Healy (2019) are the others.
All-rounders
Nida, Deepti, and Tahlia feature among all-rounders
Tahlia McGrath was a huge plus for Australia. She tallied 435 runs (50s: 4). The medium pacer also claimed 13 wickets. Pakistan's Nida Dar took 15 wickets at 18.33. She put up a match-winning show against India in Asia Cup (56* and 2/23). Off-spinner Deepti snatched 29 wickets at 18.55, including 13 in Asia Cup. With the bat, she aggregated 370 runs at 37.00.
Wicket-keeper
Richa aced her duties as wicket-keeper batter
Richa put her power-hitting abilities to notice in 2022. Across 18 matches, the wicket-keeper batter smoked 259 runs while striking at 150-plus. She slammed a whopping 13 sixes. Her best was against Australia Women at Brabourne, where she tallied a 19-ball 40. Richa was also instrumental behind 12 stumpings and took three catches.
Bowlers
Renuka spearheads the pace department; Ranaweera shines among spinners
Sophie Ecclestone, the number one ranked T20I spinner, took 19 scalps for England. She won Player of the Match twice (vs South Africa and India). Sri Lankan spinner Inoka Ranaweera took 27 scalps, averaging merely 13.85. Right-arm pacer Renuka pocketed 22 scalps, with 17 wickets across CWG and Asia Cup. She was also nominated for the ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year award.
Information
ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year 2022
Smriti Mandhana, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine (captain), Ash Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Nida Dar, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Sophie Ecclestone, Inoka Ranaweera, and Renuka Singh.