New Zealands Suzie Bates on Wednesday became the first cricketer to clinch both the International Cricket Council (ICC) Womens One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) Player of the Year awards.
Based on the 12 months period between September 14, 2015 and September 20 2016, which included the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 India 2016 and the ICC Women’s Championship, Bates scored 472 runs in eight ODIs at an average of just over 94. She also took eight wickets at an economy rate of 3.75.
In the shortest format of the game, Bates was the leading run-scorer with 429 runs at an average of 42.90 and a strike rate of over 115 runs per 100 balls.
A delighted Bates said in an ICC release: “It was a bit of a surprise to find out that I had won both these awards. It is always nice to be recognised for performances and after a busy year of cricket, I am pleased to have managed some consistency over both formats.”