The biggest find of New Zealand’s World Cup campaign in India, Rachin Ravindra on Wednesday became the youngest recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal after becoming the country’s best male cricketer of the year. Among women, Melie Kerr grabbed the major prizes at the New Zealand Cricket Awards. Kane Williamson was recognised for his outstanding form in the Test arena with the ANZ Test Player of the Year Award, and winning the Redpath Cup for men’s first-class batting.
At 24, Ravindra is the youngest winner in the award’s history, after a season that’s seen him become a mainstay of New Zealand’s red and white ball sides.
After breaking into the side in March last year, Ravindra shone in the ODI World Cup in India, scoring 578 runs at an average of 64, including three centuries and two half-centuries, including an unbeaten 123 in the tournament opener against England in Ahmedabad.
As a result, Ravindra was named as the ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2023, and also secured a USD 350,000 Indian Premier League contract with Chennai Super Kings.
The Sir Richard Hadlee Medal capped off a breakout season for Ravindra on the international stage, on which he contributed for the Kiwis across all three formats.
Ravindra continued his meteoric rise in the Test arena, registering New Zealand’s highest ever maiden Test century with 240 during the first Test against South Africa at Bay Oval, and playing a key role in the BLACKCAPS first ever Test series victory over South Africa.
He also shone on the T20 international stage, featuring in 14 of the BLACKCAPS’ 26 T20I matches over the season and scoring a blistering 68 from 35 balls in the first T20I against Australia at Sky Stadium.
Kerr claimed a clean sweep of the major female awards, winning the Debbie Hockley Medal after being named ANZ ODI and T20I Player of the Year, and the Dream11 Super Smash Women’s Player of the Year.
The leg-spinning allrounder was the WHITE FERNS’ leading ODI run-scorer with 541 runs at an average of 67, notching her third and fourth ODI centuries along the way.
She was also the team’s joint leading T20 wicket-taker and second highest T20I run scorer with 252 runs at an average of 42 and a strike-rate of 118.
Kerr’s performances on the international front were recognised with selection in both the women’s ODI and T20I ICC Teams of the Year for 2023.
Kerr also led the way on the domestic front, captaining the Wellington Blaze to their fourth Dream11 Super Smash title in six years, topping the run-scoring charts with 437 runs at an average of 72, and the wicket-taking charts with 20 wickets at 8 and an economy of 4.47.
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