India captain Mithali Raj was on Thursday named in the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year while left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht was the lone cricketer to find a place in the both the ODI and T20 Teams of the year announced by the world body. Besides the duo, Harmanpreet Kaur has found out a place in the ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year.
The ICC announced the women's ODI and T20I teams of the year with England's Heather Knight named as captain of the 50-over side and Stafanie Taylor of the West Indies appointed skipper of the 20-over side.
The teams were selected taking into consideration player performances from September 21, 2016, to date.
Bisht is the only cricketer to feature in both the ODI and T20I teams of the year. The 31-year-old from Uttarakhand is ranked 14th in ODIs and 12th in T20Is and took 34 wickets in 19 matches and 11 wickets in seven T20Is in the period under consideration.
Knight was named captain after she inspired her side to a stunning ICC Women's World Cup victory in front of a packed Lord's on July 23 in what was a game-changer for women's cricket.
While the world's top-ranked T20I batter Taylor was given the nod as captain of the inaugural ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year, introduced as part of the ICC's commitment to enhance the profile of women's cricket and bring greater equity with the men's game.
The ODI side comprises players from five countries, including two Australians (Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry), four England players (Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight, Sarah Taylor and Alex Hartley), two Indians (Raj and Bisht), one New Zealander (Amy Satterthwaite) and two South Africans (Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp).
The side includes the world's top four ranked batters in Raj, Perry, Lanning and Satterthwaite, while amongst the bowlers, Kapp is ranked number one, van Niekerk (ninth), Perry (13th), Bisht (14th) and Hartley (18th). Wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor is ranked 10th in the batting table, while her teammate Beaumont is ranked 15th.
The T20I side is made up of three Australians (Beth Mooney, Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington), one from England (Danni Wyatt), two from India (Harmanpreet Kaur and Ekta Bisht), two from New Zealand (Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu) and three from the Windies (Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews).
The Squads:
ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year (in batting order): Tammy Beaumont (England), Meg Lanning (Australia), Mithali Raj (India), Amy Satterthwaite (New Zealand), Ellyse Perry, (Australia), Heather Knight (captain) (England), Sarah Taylor (wicketkeeper) (England), Dane van Niekerk (South Africa), Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), Ekta Bisht (India), Alex Hartley (England).
ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year (in batting order): Beth Mooney (wicketkeeper) (Australia), Danni Wyatt (England), Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Stafanie Taylor (captain) (West Indies), Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Deandra Dottin (West Indies), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Megan Schutt (Australia), Amanda-Jade Wellington (Australia), Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand), Ekta Bisht (India).
(With PTI Inputs)
