Smriti Mandhana nominated for ICC Women's Cricketer of Year Award

Bengaluru, January 1: India's star batter Smriti Mandhana was nominated for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's Cricketer of the Year award for her spectacular performances across all formats.

Earlier, the left-handed opener had also beeen nominated for Women's T20 Player of the Year.

The 25-year-old was shortlisted for the top award along with Tammy Beaumont of England, Lizelle Lee of South Africa and Gaby Lewis of Ireland, as per an ICC Media release.

The award is given to the best overall performer in women's international cricket (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) during 2021. The winner will be announced on January 23.

Smriti scored 855 runs in 22 international matches across formats during the year at an average of 38.86 with one century and five half-centuries.

In the limited-overs series against South Africa where India won just two of the eight matches at home, Smriti played a major role in both of the wins.

She scored 80 not out as India chased down 158 in the second ODI that helped them level the series and scored 48 not out in the final T20I win.

Smriti played a sublime innings of 78 in the first innings of the one-off Test against England that ended in a draw. She played an important knock of 49 in India's only win in the ODI series. Her 15-ball 29 and fifty in the T20I series went in vain, though, as India fell short in both the matches and lost the series 1-2.

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Smriti was in good touch in the series against Australia, starting with the ODI series where she scored 86 in the second ODI.

She scored her second T20I fifty of the year in the final match, though India fell short and lost the series 2-0.

The Mumbaikar also made India's first-ever pink-ball Test even more memorable by smashing her maiden century (127) in the longest format of the game.

The match ended in a draw and Smriti was adjudged the Player of the Match.