NZ great Debbie Hockley lauds Melie Kerr for ICC Awards haul

Wellington, Jan 29 (IANS) New Zealand cricket great and Hall of Famer Debbie Hockley has heaped praise on Melie Kerr after the 24-year-old was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Year for 2024.

The star all-rounder created history by becoming the first player from New Zealand to win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year.

Kerr, the star of the New Zealand’s ICC T20 World Cup success in the UAE, headed off a talented field of contenders to win the supreme award, only days after being named the ICC’s Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.

Kerr capped off a tremendous calendar year of 2024 by taking took 29 T20I wickets at 15.55. She also set a new record for the most wickets in an ICC T20 World Cup; and was named both the Player of the Final, and Player of the Tournament.

The 24-year-old was also impressive in the ODI arena, averaging 33.00 with the bat and taking 14 wickets – including four-wicket hauls against India and Australia.

Hockley said Kerr’s achievement in winning the award was “momentous”.

“I’m so admiring of Meile's desire for consistency of performance and her ability in delivering that. This is what separates a good player from a truly great player,” said Hockley.

Kerr believes enjoying her cricket and an improvement at the bowling crease led to her recent success and winning the prestigious award.

“Over the past year, I think my bowling’s improved,” said Kerr when asked about her success. A lot of that comes down to the ‘spin group’ that I work with. I love working with Paul Wiseman and the others. We work hard but have a lot of fun too, and it pays off.

“Nothing’s changed dramatically but we find little things to tweak and improve, and at this level it can make a big difference," Kerr said.

NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said Kerr’s success was yet another significant milestone in a career that continues to uncover new ground.

“This is an enormous accolade for Melie, and I know everyone within the New Zealand cricket network is incredibly proud of what she’s been able to achieve.

“Melie has been a wonderful player for a long time now, but she’s also been an exceptional ambassador for both the game and NZC. We consider ourselves very fortunate to not only have a brilliant cricketer within our game but such a great role model too," said Weenink.