No Indian named in ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2023 nominees list

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the shortlist for the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year award, however, no Indian contenders were included. The nominated individuals comprise of Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner, Sri Lankan seasoned player Chamari Athapaththu, seasoned all-rounder from England Nat Sciver Brunt, and Australian opening batswoman Beth Mooney. These four women are up for the prominent Rachael Heyhoe Flint award recognizing their exceptional performances in 2023. The ICC did not nominate any players from the Indian women's team this year, unlike the Indian men's team which occupied several nominations for 2023.

Gardner had an impressive performance across all formats this year. She shared the top spot as the highest wicket taker for Australia in the T20 World Cup and played a key role in helping Australia retain the Ashes against England in the one-off Test match, by taking crucial wickets and making valuable runs. Her match figures of 8/66 were the second highest recorded in Women’s Tests.

Athapaththu demonstrated her skills this season by scoring 885 runs and claiming nine wickets in 24 games. In addition, she captained Sri Lanka to a silver medal in the Asian Games. Her two centuries in ODIs against New Zealand also contributed significantly to Sri Lanka clinching a series win.

Mooney, an Australian left-hand opening batswoman, scored an impressive 1,040 runs in 29 matches. As Australia’s leading run scorer in the T20 World Cup, she played a significant role in securing Australia’s record-breaking sixth win. Her performance in the tournament finals earned her the title of player of the match. In addition, she made a valuable contribution to the women’s Ashes by scoring 85 runs in the second innings and recorded a century in ODIs against Pakistan.

Sciver Brunt, the reigning award winner from 2022, is once again a nominee for the prominent award. In 2023, she scored 894 runs and took nine wickets in 18 matches. Her remarkable average of 131 in six ODIs, included three centuries. Impressively, she recorded fifties in both of England's Tests against Australia and India, and was England's highest run scorer in the T20 World Cup, scoring 216 runs with a strike rate of 141.17.