Star India opener Smriti Mandhana was on Wednesday named in the ICC T20 women’s Team of the Year for her superlative show in the format in 2021 but no Indian made the men’s side.
The stylish southpaw, who is the India T20 team’s vice-captain, was the country’s highest scorer in the format in 2021 with 255 runs at an average of 31.87. The 25-year-old scored two fifties in the nine matches she played and got her team off to rapid starts regularly, as evident by her strike-rate of 131.44.
While Mandhana was the only Indian, several members of the English side feature in the team with Nat Scriver being named captain.
The experienced England all-rounder produced many impactful performances throughout the year. Batting in the middle-order, Scriver scored a total of 153 runs, including one fifty, and she also picked up 10 wickets at an excellent average of 20.20.
Accompanying Mandhana at the top is England’s Tammy Beaumont. The 30-year-old’s reliable presence at the top of the order helped England off to steady starts regularly. She played nine matches and amassed 303 runs at an average of 33.66, including three fifties.
Danni Wyatt, wicketkeeper Amy Jones and spinner Sophie Ecclestone are the other English players in the side.Gaby Lewis of Ireland, South African trio of Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp and Zimbabwe’s Loryn Phiri make up the rest of the playing XI.
Men miss the grade
There was no Indian representation in the ICC men’s T20I Team of the Year 2021, which featured three Pakistanis, including skipper Babar Azam, who has been named captain. Apart from Azam, opener Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, who had a sensational T20 World Cup were named in the squad.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh and pacer Josh Hazlewood featured in the team while the trio of South Africans, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Tabraiz Shamsi, also made it to the playing XI.