ICC Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2023 nominees revealed
Two breakout quicks from Bangladesh and England, a classy batter from Australia and a brilliant Scottish all-rounder make up the nominees for the ICC Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year award.
We take a look at their performances during 2023.
Phoebe Litchfield (Australia)
87 Test runs at 21.75
344 ODI runs at 49.14
88 T20I runs at 88
The year that was
Litchfield started the year in great touch as she smashed consecutive unbeaten half-centuries in her first two ODI contests at home against Pakistan.
Despite narrowly missing out on selection for Australia's squad at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Litchfield returned to international action in the middle of the year in Europe when producing a Player of the Match performance and a first career century when amassing an unbeaten 106* against Ireland in Dublin.
Litchfield then smashed five sixes and an unbeaten 52* from just 19 deliveries in her first T20I contest of the year against the West Indies at the start of October, before contributing a decent knock of 27 in the third and final ODI against the Caribbean side in a victory in Melbourne.
Memorable performance
Litchfield's best effort with the bat came when she scored her maiden ODI century with an unbeaten 106* from 114 deliveries against Ireland in Dublin at the end of July.
The 20-year-old entered the match on the back of three single-figure scores and needed to spend some time in the middle and make a valuable contribution to build on the promise she displayed earlier in the year.
The left-hander did all that and more as she combined with fellow youngster Annabel Sutherland (109) to put Ireland to the sword by reaching triple figures in style and guiding Australia to another series-clinching victory.
Marufa Akter (Bangladesh)
Nine ODI wickets at 24.77
Ten T20I wickets at 23.30
The year that was
Marufa had only played a handful of international matches prior to February's ICC Women's T20 World Cup, but the teenager made an instant impression in her first major ICC tournament.
The right-armer caused a major scare in Sri Lanka's batting order as she picked up two wickets in consecutive balls and three for the match while collecting impressive figures of 3/23 in just her third T20I contest.
Marufa then got the prized scalp of Beth Mooney in her next match at the T20 World Cup when taking on powerhouse Australia, before finishing the tournament with a total of four wickets and a tidy economy rate of 6.31.
The 18-year-old further impressed in white-ball matches on home soil against India during the middle of the year and became one of the first players picked in Bangladesh's side towards the end of 2023 during series against Pakistan and South Africa.
Bangladesh's teenage sensation Marufa Akter rips through the Sri Lanka middle order with two wickets in as many deliveries at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023.
Memorable performance
While hard to top Marufa's three-wicket haul against SrI Lanka at the T20 World Cup, the seamer produced an even more impressive performance when bowling her team to victory in the first ODI against India in Mirpur in July.
Bangladesh only managed a miserly 152 with the bat and had to bowl India out to have any chance of victory and Marufa picked up four massive wickets to guide her side to a memorable 40-run (DLS method) victory.
Marufa's figures of 4/29 that day remain her best in international cricket so far, but if she continues on her upward trend it's likely there will be more big hauls to come.
Four up-and-coming stars from around the world have been shortlisted for the ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year Award.
Lauren Bell (England)
Six Test wickets at 31.83
Seven ODI wickets at 27.71
Nine T20I wickets at 26
The year that was
The tall pacer made giant strides during 2023, becoming the premier pacer in England's setup following the retirement of stalwart Katherine Sciver-Brunt.
Bell picked up three wickets from four appearances during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in February and then performed admirably in all three formats during England's multi-format Ashes series against Australia during the middle of the year.
The fast bowler finished the year with a string of good efforts as the pace spearhead for England on their tour of India and looks set for a long and fruitful career in all three formats.
England pacer Lauren Bell is proving to be a weapon at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023
Memorable performance
Bell produced loads of consistent efforts during 2023 and perhaps her best spell came in a losing side during the opening T20I match of England's multi-format series against Australia in Birmingham.
England managed a decent total of 153/7 with that bat and needed to make early inroads on Australia's strong batting line-up to have any chance of saluting.
Bell removed the dangerous Alyssa Healy for just five and then returned to the bowling crease for the penultimate over to snag the big wicket of Ellyse Perry with a beauty and give her side a glimmer of hope.
Australia snuck home by four wickets with one delivery remaining in a final over thriller, but not before Bell had produced one of her best performances for her country.
Darcey Carter
224 T20I runs at 22.40
13 T20I wickets at 12.07
The year that was
A squad member for Scotland at the inaugural U19 Women's T20 World Cup, Carter was called up to the senior team in July, taking part in a T20I tri-series with Thailand and the Netherlands in Utrecht.
Making scores of note and chiming in with her off-spin, she was then part of the Scottish squad to progress to the T20 World Cup Qualifier next year via the European regional final in September, held in Almeria, Spain.
Carter went on to make a confident 45 against Full Members Ireland later in the year in a T20I series, also making her ODI debut against the same opponents. Carter claimed three wickets across the series, also held in Almeria.
Memorable performance
Not going into her shell after a debut T20I duck against Thailand, Carter bounced back with an unbeaten fifty against Netherlands in their tri-series meeting in Utrecht, also claiming 2/12 (2) in a Scottish victory.
Carter opened the batting after her side were put into bat, and lost both partner Ailsa Lister and Lorna Jack early. A partnership with Megan McColl helped Scotland's counter, though Carter was the only player to truly flourish, finishing 53* (52) balls after eight wickets fell at the other end.
Scotland needed a strong team performance to defend 110, and it was Carter who claimed the key wickets of Babette de Leede (10) and Robine Rijke (2) in the same over to turn the tide. The Dutch eventually fell six runs short, and Carter was adjudged Player of the Match.