CDC AWARDS
Follow UsHello and welcome everyone to the Cricket.com Women’s Cricket Awards. The prestige of these awards is so ubiquitous that even my editor didn’t ask for it upfront. But hey, since when have awards cared for what others think?
The only purpose of these is to give us a glimpse of the year that passed. However, rest assured, these are not the awards that any cricket board or the ICC would present to its players. While they may or might not serve the purpose mentioned above, we’ll definitely dish them out with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old demonstrating the workings of a volcano at a science fair.
So tighten your seatbelts, as I, the only jury available on New Year's Day, present our new annual women’s cricket awards.
Let’s begin with the first one; oh boy, it’s a big one!
> ‘Absolute Mass’ moment of the year, presented to you by Rockstar Yash
“It’s not E Saala Cup Namde.”
“It’s E Saala Cup Namdu.”
As soon as Smriti Mandhana said these words after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first-ever trophy by winning the Women’s Premier League 2024, shrieks were heard in Bengaluru from Chickpet to Church Street. I still imagine that the ‘Rocky bhai walking up the stairs’ soundtrack from KGF played right after Mandhana dropped the mic with that statement, and RCB lifted their first-ever WPL Trophy.
> ‘No one saw it coming' moment of the year, presented to you by Virat Kohli
No one had Smriti Mandhana bowling in their bingo cards for 2024. However, not even gods would have had her getting a wicket while doing so in their bingo card.
But there she was against South Africa in the Chinnaswamy, delivering the ball with an action that Rahul Dravid would describe as “right arm wrong footed inswinging menace.” She dismissed Sune Luus, caught behind, and ran around the ground with arms aloft in jubilation like a swarm of bees was chasing her. Meanwhile, the crowd, which wasn’t filling a fourth of the Chinnaswamy seats, roared with the ferocity to match a full house stadium.
> Trailblazing boomers of the year award, presented by Shahrukh Khan
Okay, I’ve got to admit. I teared up a bit as Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu lifted the T20 World Cup Trophy in UAE together. These three grandmas, as Devine jokingly called the trio, had been at the forefront of Whiteferns for multiple decades now, and it was hands down one of the most heartwarming moments in women’s cricket.
I almost felt like someone should have delivered that Om Shanti Om dialogue about the universe manifesting to give you what you dreamt of.
> Smile of the year, presented to you by Colgate Max Fresh and Happydent
New Zealand have just defeated the West Indies by eight runs in a T20 World Cup semifinal, and Eden Carson, who has been at the centre of their campaign with her brilliant bowling, can’t stop giggling about all of it.
This is the image I’ll remember the most from the 2024 T20 World Cup.
That giggle wasn’t just a ditzy kind of laughter. It reflected the sheer incredulity of New Zealand’s history. So, I mean, how can a 23-year-old not giggle herself into stardom for it? She deserved to!
> Dark horses of the year award, presented to you by Derry Girls
After defeating Sri Lanka in an ODI series, clean-sweeping Bangladesh and tying the series against England and Sri Lanka in T20Is, the Irish not only performed much better than expected but also became a symbol of growing standards of women’s cricket in the world.
If she continues her form from 2024, Orla Prendergast will probably deserve a statue in Dublin in a few years.
> The Jigra moment of the year, presented by Alia Bhatt
Jigra means courage in Hindi/Urdu, and Fatima Sana, the 23-year-old skipper of Pakistan, was full of it during the T20 World Cup.
She lost her father in the middle of the tournament, rushed back to Karachi from Dubai to attend his funeral, and came back the day later to be Pakistan’s best performer in the tournament.
The cricket world will not forget Fatima’s Jigra moment anytime soon.
> Arjan Vaily moment of the year, presented by Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Harmanpreet Kaur and Alyssa Healy always have some simmering tension bubbling beneath the surface as they both clash. It came out quite aggressively in the Test played between India and Australia in India, as Harmanpreet threw the ball back to the keeper aggressively while Healy was still in her crease.
A death stare from Harmanpreet followed a WTF reaction from Healy, ending with Healy being the bigger ‘man’ and snapping the victorious Indian team in her camera.
> Constant learners of the year award, presented by Byjus
The Indian women’s team is on a learning journey so deep and spiritual that we can’t even figure out the beginning or the end of it. So intense is their process, that process is all there is. Who cares about results? Who cares about winning tournaments? Who cares about rewarding performances in selection?
No one does, just like they should!
Learning is all there is. That’s the ultimate truth and the only purpose of existence.
> Surprise Comeback of the Year, presented by Abbas Mastan
It can’t go to anyone except Deadra Dottin, who made a rousing comeback in the Windies team two years after calling its environment not conducive for her.
However, runs and wickets kept coming in for her as she headlined a really strong performance from West Indies in the T20 World Cup. She’s also back in the WPL now; that also as a part of Gujarat Giants, who had onboarding issues with her in the first season of the league.
> Student of the Year award, presented by Karan Johar
This award goes to Smriti Mandhana for breaking the record of most international runs scored in a calendar year by anyone with XX chromosomes on planet earth.
Since Shahrukh is already here, Karan Johar will make Mandhana, Carson, and everyone else dance on Bas Deewangi hai from Om Shanti Om to cap off the ceremony.
The END.
