Smriti Mandhana Is The Only Indian Named In ICC T20I Team Of The Year List

Indian cricket player and star opener, Smriti Mandhana was named in the ICC T20 women’s Team of the Year on Wednesday. She was the only Indian cricketer named on the list of 2021 by the International Cricket Council with no Indian player named in the men's list.

Mandhana is the vice-caption of the Indian women's cricket team. She scored the highest in the T20 format in 2021 with 255 runs at an average of 31.87. The 25-year-old player had scored two fifties in the nine matches played by her in 2021. She had an impressive strike rate of 131.44.

While no other Indian player was mentioned in the 2021 list, many English players named the list such as the team captain Nat Scriver.

Mandhana has had a impressive record in 2021 not just in T20 but in other formats as well. She created world record during the second ODI match between India and South Africa and stayed unbeaten with 80 runs off 64 balls. She hit three sixes and 10 hours. This made her the first-ever cricketer, male or female, to score 10 consecutive fifties in ODI chase.

Suggested Reading: Smriti Mandhana Creates World Record For 10 Consecutive Fifties While Chasing

England's Sciver plays in the middle order and an all rounder player. She also had many unforgettable performances in 2021. She score 153 runs which included one fifty and picked 10 wickets at an impressive average of 20.20. England team's Tammy Beaumont was also named in the list. The 20-year-old player gave her best performance in nine matches over the year and made 303 runs at an average of 33.66 including three fifties.

Other players named in the list were wicketkeeper Amy Jones, spinner Sophie Ecclestone and Danni Wyatt. Ireland's Gaby Lewis, Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail of South Africa and Zimbabwe's Loryn Phiri.

While there were no Indian players in the Men's Team of the Year 2021, the list featured three Pakistani players such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan.