Hot off the press: ICC Women’s International Emerging Cricketer of the Year awards shortlist is announced…
Of all the emerging pathway and professional players in the women’s game globally, just 4 were shortlisted for the ICC awards. Staggeringly (for us), two of the 4 players nominated are from the M&H family.. Lauren Bell, the tall fast bowler, who at 23 is already a household name and well established in the English Women’s side, and Darcey Carter, the Scottish Women’s international, who at just 18 is arguably the most exciting and genuine all-rounder prospect in the women’s game.
The nominations for Darcey and Lauren come on the back of impressive seasons, turning heads on both the domestic and international stages and the ICC nominations committee.
Whilst nominated in the global ICC emerging player category, both cricketers are at very different stages of their cricketing careers:
Lauren already has 24 international caps and 27 wickets representing England across all three formats of the game for England, and was a stand out performer in both the T20 world cup and the Women’s Ashes tournament last summer. Lauren was in great form leading England’s bowling attack on their tour to India, and a draft selection for international franchise cricket in the WPL, the Hundred and the Big Bash. We caught up with Lauren ahead of her training session with the Southern Vipers commenting on her nomination:
“It’s such an honour to be nominated, and so exciting and unexpected to be named alongside some amazing cricketers. Playing around the world has been unbelievable, and my first World Cup was an unforgettable experience. Whilst I am a fast bowler, I’ve loved using my M&H batting kit. It really suits my batting style, and the one-off pink labels really suit my brand! It’s been an amazing 2023 for me, but I’m super excited to see what 2024 holds.”
Darcey Carter is 18 years old and still at school, so a much newer name to the cricketing world. In this, her ‘breakthrough’ season, Darcey has shown that she is more than capable of lining up against the very best. First being called up for the Scotland U19s T20 world cup, Darcey then made her full international debut in an International Tri-Series with Thailand and Netherlands. Darcey showed her abundant talent and resilience making 53* opening the batting against the Netherlands, watching 8 wickets fall at the other end. With a total of just 110 to defend, Darcey featured with the ball as well, taking two key wickets in the same over with her off-spin. The match ended with the Netherlands falling 6 runs short of the total, and Darcey with the Player of the Match award. Darcey plies her trade for the South East Stars and for Kent, she’s definitely one to watch in the future. We chatted to Darcey about her nomination:
“It’s absolutely incredible to be nominated for the award! 2023 has been such an amazing year, and balancing my schoolwork and playing internationally has been tough, but I love it! I’m really looking to push myself in 2024 and do my best to help Scotland qualify for the World Cup. I only joined the M&H Family (from another brand) at the start of the year, but it has made such a difference to my game. The C100 bat I am using is just what every player looks for in the women’s game – massive, light and forgiving. The reason I moved to M&H is for their bats, but the whole range of kit, their support and customer service has just been great.”
Both Lauren and Darcey are both worthy nominees for the award. We’re extremely proud of them, and humbled to be able to support them on their cricketing journey. We can’t wait to see whether they win the awards, and what 2024 has in store for them. Be sure to follow all of the M&H Family members performances, we now have over 60 professionals playing in competitions across the world!
