Rahul NareshThe women’s game has genuinely taken off in recent years, with several white-ball tournaments being conducted and bilateral series being played. 2021 also saw many steps taken in the right direction for women’s cricket. Several players stamped their authority last year and will be looking forward to continuing the trend in 2022.
The following is a list of female cricketers to watch in 2022.
Also Read – Top 7 international male bowlers to watch in 2022
Shabnim Ismail
The right-arm quick from South Africa has been quite impressive over the years. Although 33, Ismail seems to be rearing to go.
South Africa took on India in early 2021 in a bilateral series in which Ismail proved her worth in both the ODIs and the T20Is. Her experience and ability shone through the series, which eventually led to her taking the most number of wickets in the T20I series.
Ismail did not have a great time when South Africa toured the West Indies in late 2021, however, but she will indeed be looking to make her presence felt in 2022.
Sophie Ecclestone
Sophie Ecclestone is one of the many accomplished slow left-arm orthodox bowlers that women’s cricket has to offer. Her consistency in landing the ball in similar areas over several overs helps her stand out from the rest. She is now an integral part of England’s red-ball and white-ball set up.
Ecclestone may not be a big turner of the ball, but her knack for varying pace and landing the ball in good areas makes her lethal. Only 22, Ecclestone has a long career ahead of her, and many will be awaiting her performance in the upcoming year.
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Sophie Divine
When you think of big hitters in the women’s game, they hardly get any bigger than Sophie Divine. The New Zealand skipper and opening batter is a crucial component of her side’s top order.
In terms of performances in 2021, Divine had a reasonably good tour in England, which included one fifty in the T20Is and a few handy 30s in the ODIs.
Given Divine’s capability, the Kiwis will be expecting a lot more from their skipper in 2022. Given her Strike Rate and the ability to hit the ball big, we can expect 2022 to be a big year for Divine.
Beth Mooney
Up next is Australian left-handed batter Beth Mooney. In the presence of Rachel Haynes and Alyssa Healy, Mooney has often been pushed down the order to play in the middle, though she has always seemed to be more than happy to play the role given to her. She can also open the batting in the absence of either opener.
Mooney stacked up big runs in the recent bilateral series against India. She was Australia’s highest run-getter in the T20I games and also scored a magnificent ton in the ODIs.
If Mooney gets to bat higher up the order, big things could arrive for Australia from her bat.
Amy Satterthwaite
Amy Satterthwaite is another player who is a formidable part of the New Zealand batting set-up and one to watch in 2022. The elegant left-handed No 3 batter for New Zealand gave a good account of herself in the England tour.
In both ODI and T20I cricket, Satterthwaite acts as the pillar around which the rest of the New Zealand innings is built.
Satterthwaite has multiple gears and can quickly shift from chipping away with singles to scoring boundaries. The experienced batter will be crucial to New Zealand’s success in the coming year.
Also Read – Top 7 international male batters to look out for in 2022
Tammy Beaumont
Tammy Beaumont has become a mainstay in English women’s cricket through her reasonably consistent performances at home in 2021. England hosted India and New Zealand last year, during which Beaumont scored a hundred against New Zealand and a fifty against India in the ODI series.
Beaumont picked up a half-century in the lone Test against India while opening the batting in challenging conditions. She nearly scored a hundred against New Zealand in the T20Is as well. Her gritty batting grants her a place on this list.
Sophia Dunkley
The last player on this list is a fairly new cricketer who showed a lot of promise in 2021.
Sophia Dunkley has been introduced to the global stage and has taken quite nicely to international cricket. She has contributed with a few decent performances but has not yet scored the big runs in white-ball cricket. This is largely because she bats lower down the order, though she did score a valuable 74 in the lone Test against India.
If given a chance to bat a little higher up the order, Dunkley could be one of the players to watch in 2022.
