Three members of Englands World Cup-winning womens cricket team have been named among the five Wisden cricketers of the year, with only two women ever having made the list before.
Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole and Nat Sciver all starred in Englands triumphant World Cup on home soil last night.
Shrubsole has also become the first women on the cover of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack which had previously only named Englands Charlie Taylor in 2009 and Charlotte Edwards in 2014 in its five cricketers of the year.
Essex seam bowler Jamie Porter, who helped his county to a first Championship in 25 years, and West Indies scorer of twin hundreds at Headingley Shai Hope make up the top five.
India batsman Virat Kohli was named leading cricketer in the world for a second straight year, becoming just the second player to do so after Virender Sehwag in 2008 and 2009. Mithali Raj, captain of Indias womens team, took the leading womens cricket accolade.
Knight led England to World Cup glory (Source: Getty)
“When Heather Knight lifted the World Cup at Lords in late July, it was the culmination of a personal tour de force that helped change womens cricket forever,” said Wisden editor Laurence Booth.
Read more:Women's Cricket World Cup set to embark on its new dawn
“Not only had she captained England with aplomb throughout the tournament, but her 34 runs at an average of 45 — including a century against Pakistan — were central to their success.”
Anya Shrubsole to be first woman cover star on @WisdenCricket Almanack 2018https://t.co/rxButwTyGBpic.twitter.com/RyISpk8niJ
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 24, 2018
Englands triumphant World Cup last summer marked a watershed year for the popularity of womens cricket. Over 100m people are estimated to have watched the final in which Shrubsoles match-winning heroics at the crease led England to glory.
“The World Cup was slipping away from England when Anya Shrubsole embarked on a trophy-winning spell of five for 11,” said Booth.
“She finished with figures of six for 46, the best in a World Cup final and the status of a national hero.”
Nat Sciver scored 369 runs at the Cricket World Cup (Source: Getty)
Scivers clever flick through her legs in the quarter-finals against New Zealand was a particularly bright highlight of a tournament in which she was the only player to score two centuries.
“No stroke was more memorable than Nat Scivers deliberate deflection between her legs,” said Booth.
Three members of Englands World Cup-winning womens cricket team have been named among the five Wisden cricketers of the year, with only two women ever having made the list before.
Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole and Nat Sciver all starred in Englands triumphant World Cup on home soil last night.
Shrubsole has also become the first women on the cover of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack which had previously only named Englands Charlie Taylor in 2009 and Charlotte Edwards in 2014 in its five cricketers of the year.
Essex seam bowler Jamie Porter, who helped his county to a first Championship in 25 years, and West Indies scorer of twin hundreds at Headingley Shai Hope make up the top five.
India batsman Virat Kohli was named leading cricketer in the world for a second straight year, becoming just the second player to do so after Virender Sehwag in 2008 and 2009. Mithali Raj, captain of Indias womens team, took the leading womens cricket accolade.
Knight led England to World Cup glory (Source: Getty)
“When Heather Knight lifted the World Cup at Lords in late July, it was the culmination of a personal tour de force that helped change womens cricket forever,” said Wisden editor Laurence Booth.
Read more:Women's Cricket World Cup set to embark on its new dawn
“Not only had she captained England with aplomb throughout the tournament, but her 34 runs at an average of 45 — including a century against Pakistan — were central to their success.”
Anya Shrubsole to be first woman cover star on @WisdenCricket Almanack 2018https://t.co/rxButwTyGBpic.twitter.com/RyISpk8niJ
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 24, 2018
Englands triumphant World Cup last summer marked a watershed year for the popularity of womens cricket. Over 100m people are estimated to have watched the final in which Shrubsoles match-winning heroics at the crease led England to glory.
“The World Cup was slipping away from England when Anya Shrubsole embarked on a trophy-winning spell of five for 11,” said Booth.
“She finished with figures of six for 46, the best in a World Cup final and the status of a national hero.”
Nat Sciver scored 369 runs at the Cricket World Cup (Source: Getty)
Scivers clever flick through her legs in the quarter-finals against New Zealand was a particularly bright highlight of a tournament in which she was the only player to score two centuries.
“No stroke was more memorable than Nat Scivers deliberate deflection between her legs,” said Booth.