Aussie cricketers honoured at annual awards night

Australia’s world champion cricket team have received further recognition, picking up two gongs at the annual Women’s Health Women in Sport Awards.

The national team were named ‘A-Team of the Year’ after a record-breaking 12 months, while skipper Meg Lanning took home the ‘Leadership Legend’ award.

Lanning has led her side on an extraordinary run of victories in the past 18 months, which has featured just three defeats in 45 matches across all formats since March last year.

That winning streak featured a fourth T20 World Cup title, victory in the women’s Ashes and a run of 18 consecutive wins in one-day cricket, a new international record in the women’s game.

In addition to her captaincy, Lanning has been a key figure with the bat during her side’s winning run, scoring three hundreds, including a record-breaking score of 133 against England earlier this year.

"On behalf of Australian Cricket, I’d like to congratulate the Australian Women’s Team, captain Meg Lanning, coach Matthew Mott and all the support staff on another stellar 12 months," said Cricket Australia CEO, Kevin Roberts.

"This team is one of Australia’s most successful sporting teams. The way the players conduct themselves both on and off the field is thoroughly deserving of recognition.

"They are wonderful roles models and continue to play a vital role in inspiring communities and encouraging more kids to get involved in cricket.

"The profile of the women’s game continues to grow, as we see six in 10 young players signing up for cricket today are girls, and there’s no doubt that this team can take a lot of the credit."

The Australians will be aiming for a fifth T20 World Cup title and their first on home soil in the tournament that will be held in February and March next year.

It was announced this week that Cricket Australia will top up the prizemoney on offer for their players to ensure parity with the money awarded for the men's tournament. 

Tennis star Ash Barty, a former cricketer with the Brisbane Heat in the WBBL, was named Sportswoman of the Year at the event held in Sydney.