Melie Kerr. Photo- Getty
Melie Kerr. Photo- Getty

Melie Kerr, a New Zealand all-rounder, won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy after being named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2024. Kerr has been declared the recipient of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year at the ICC Awards.

Melie Kerr won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for her outstanding all-round performance for the White Ferns in 2024, beating out South African batter Laura Wolvaardt, Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu, and Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland.

Melie Kerr becomes first New Zealand Women’s cricketer to win the award

Melie Kerr made history as the first New Zealander to win the renowned Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. The youngster also made history by becoming the first White Ferns player to win the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award in any category, solidifying her position as a quality performer.

Notably, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was created in 2017, and since then, great cricketers from Australia, India, and England have dominated the renowned award.

Ellyse Perry of Australia, Smriti Mandhana of India, and Nat Sciver-Brunt of England have all won the prize twice, but Kerr defied the odds this time.

Melie Kerr was a deadly leg-spinner and the White Ferns’ go-to striking bowler in all formats. She took 14 wickets in nine ODIs last year. Her biggest performance, however, came in T20I cricket, where the ace all-rounder took 29 wickets in 18 matches for New Zealand Women.

With her amazing performance in T20I cricket, Kerr became the player with the most wickets in a single calendar year. She took 15 wickets at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, finishing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and setting the record for the most wickets taken by a bowler in the event’s history.

It’s a huge honor to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Melie Kerr

After winning the award, Melie Kerr told ICC: “It’s a huge honor to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. I guess for me individual awards aren’t something you think about much, but this is an extremely special one.

It’s nice to be able to contribute to New Zealand; I guess that’s all any cricketer wants: to work hard and put out performances for their teammates. There are so many people that have helped me achieve what I have, and I’m very grateful for the support network I have around me.”

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