Best Women's T20I playing 11 of 2024 ft. Smriti Mandhana, Amelia Kerr

Women’s T20I saw a rise in the year 2024, and the format also witnessed a new team being crowned world champions. Australia’s dominance in the shortest format of the game came to a halt when South Africa defeated them in the semi-final.

Aussies were the heavy favorites to make it to the final and also win the title and extend their record, but South Africa had other plans. The 2023 runner-ups scripted history, beating the defending champions Australia and making it their second consecutive T20 World Cup final.

Apart from the players’ and teams’ performances at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, some players stood out throughout the year, in the bilateral series as well, and put up noteworthy performances.

Courtesy of that, they made their way to the best T20I playing XI of the year. Here’s a detailed look at it:

---

Openers: Smriti Mandhana (IND), Chamari Athapaththu (SL)

Smriti Mandhana was phenomenal in the year 2024, across all formats. While she showcased her best self in the ODI format, her T20I performances were also noteworthy. The Indian vice-captain ended the year on a high, winning the Player of the Series award in India’s last T20I series of 2024 against the West Indies.

With half-centuries in all the games of the three-match T20I series, Mandhana surpassed Suzie Bates and now has the most fifties (30) in the format. She scored eight fifties in 2024, the most by any female batter in T20Is in a calendar year. The southpaw ended 2024 with the most runs in a calendar year by any player in the format, accumulating 763.

Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu, too, was brilliant with the bat, leading her side to several laurels. The crowning moment of her year came when Sri Lanka lifted the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 trophy under Athapaththu’s leadership. She finished 2024 behind Mandhana, as the second-highest run-getter in T20Is with 720 runs.

---

Middle-order: Laura Wolvaardt (c) (SA), Richa Ghosh (wk) (IND)

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt makes it to the team of the year as a leader too. She led her national side to the T20 World Cup final as the Proteas women defeated the mighty Australians in the semifinal. She also played key innings with the bat, scoring crucial runs while opening the lineup.

Richa Ghosh was one of India’s most dependable players in the middle order this year. On most occasions, she walked out to bat when the team was struggling to get going, and came back with powerful knocks. Her wicketkeeping skills also saw tremendous improvement, which is why she has been named the keeper of this team.

---

All-rounders: Orla Prendergast (IRE), Marizanne Kapp (SA), Amelia Kerr (NZ), Annabel Sutherland (AUS)

Irish all-rounder Orla Prendergast was the standout player in Ireland’s memorable win against Bangladesh, in what turned out to be a historic series victory for the side. In the series, she registered two three-wicket hauls and one four-for, recording her career-best T20I figures of 4/22 and finishing with 10 wickets in three games.

She has also been nominated for the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award for her noteworthy performances in the format.

One of the finest fast bowlers in the shortest format of the game, Marizanne Kapp put in tremendous efforts for her national side, both with the bat and ball, and helped them get closer to the world championship title. In 16 T20Is this year, Kapp scored 399 runs, including three half-centuries and two 40+ scores, and picked up 10 wickets.

Amelia Kerr’s inclusion in the T20I team of the year is a no-brainer as she is the first name that comes to mind when we sit down to pick the team of the year. She was one of the key reasons behind New Zealand’s T20 World Cup victory earlier this year and ended her campaign bagging the Player of the Tournament award.

Kerr had a stellar year, notching 387 runs and picking 28 wickets in the 20-over format. The White Ferns all-rounder has also been nominated for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year awards.

Australia’s Annabel Sutherland has also been shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award after her stellar performances in the ODI format. While she was tremendous in both the ODIs and Tests, becoming the player to hit the fastest-ever double-century in the red-ball format, she performed equally well in T20Is.

---

Bowlers: Sadia Iqbal (PAK), Sophie Ecclestone (ENG), Eden Carson (NZ)

Pakistan’s Sadia Iqbal rose to the top of the bowlers rankings, for a brief period, after her exploits in the T20 World Cup, becoming only the second Pakistani cricketer to achieve that status after Sana Mir. She currently stands second in the Women’s T20I Bowlers rankings and had a breakthrough year with the ball.

England’s Sophie Ecclestone continues to dominate across formats and will finish 2024 as the World No. 1 T20I bowler. She will next be seen representing the English side in the highly anticipated Women’s Ashes, having been named in all three squads.

Ecclestone performed at her best, like every year, and was one of England’s finest-performing cricketers in 2024 across formats.

Besides Amelia Kerr, Eden Carson was another New Zealander who stood out in the team’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign this year. She stole the limelight at the tournament with her bowling exploits as New Zealand beat South Africa to clinch the silverware.

The 23-year-old off-spinner was all smiles after turning her dream into reality alongside some of the biggest stars of women’s cricket- Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, and Lea Tahuhu.

---

12th Player: Hayley Matthews (WI)

No team is complete without a 12th man, and West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews completes this team. She led the West Indies to their first-ever T20 World Cup semi-final since 2016 and also put up key performances both with the bat and ball. Her recent performances against India in the Windies’ away series were also noteworthy.