ESPNcricinfo Awards 2024 Women's captain of the year nominees: Healy's winning ways, Athapaththu's Sri Lanka magic
These captains led their sides through injuries and hurtful losses to historic triumphs
Srinidhi Ramanujam
31-Jan-2025
Healy's Australia were knocked out of the T20 World Cup and she injured her foot, but overall they had an another dominant year • ICC/Getty Images
Alyssa Healy
Tests: P1 W1
ODIs: P9 W8 L1
T20Is: P15 W13 L2
Australia continued to do Australia things across formats in the post-Lanning era. Upon assuming the role in December 2023, Healy said she wanted to create a "new legacy" and vowed to empower young leaders within the squad. In her first year as a full-time captain, Healy's Australia posted series wins against India, South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand in T20Is and were favourites to defend the T20 World Cup. But a foot injury forced Healy, a match-winner, especially in global events, to watch from the sidelines as Australia were knocked out of the tournament in the semi-final. Under her captaincy, Australia's only defeat in ODIs in 2024 came against South Africa but they made it up with a huge innings victory in the one-off Test on the same tour, where Healy fell agonisingly short of a maiden Test century. Barring the World Cup glitch, Australia had a dominant year.
Tests: P1 W1
ODIs: P9 W8 L1
T20Is: P15 W13 L2
Australia continued to do Australia things across formats in the post-Lanning era. Upon assuming the role in December 2023, Healy said she wanted to create a "new legacy" and vowed to empower young leaders within the squad. In her first year as a full-time captain, Healy's Australia posted series wins against India, South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand in T20Is and were favourites to defend the T20 World Cup. But a foot injury forced Healy, a match-winner, especially in global events, to watch from the sidelines as Australia were knocked out of the tournament in the semi-final. Under her captaincy, Australia's only defeat in ODIs in 2024 came against South Africa but they made it up with a huge innings victory in the one-off Test on the same tour, where Healy fell agonisingly short of a maiden Test century. Barring the World Cup glitch, Australia had a dominant year.
Chamari Athapaththu
ODIs: P9 W5 L3 NR1
T20Is: P21 W14 L7
A greatly improved Sri Lanka under Athapaththu had their busiest year in recent times. Their first Asia Cup title at home will go down as one of the finest cricketing achievements by a Sri Lanka side. Not only did Athapaththu smash 61 off 43 in the final, she was also by a huge distance the highest run-getter in the tournament: 304 runs in five innings, at a strike rate of 147. Before that, she also led Sri Lanka to a historic first bilateral T20I series win against South Africa. She finished the year as the second-highest run-scorer in T20Is, behind Smriti Mandhana, with 720 runs. Though Sri Lanka underperformed at the T20 World Cup, with four losses in as many matches, Athapaththu said after the Asia Cup victory that she believed "Sri Lanka women's cricket is in safe hands", a credit to how she has inspired a young side.
ODIs: P9 W5 L3 NR1
T20Is: P21 W14 L7
A greatly improved Sri Lanka under Athapaththu had their busiest year in recent times. Their first Asia Cup title at home will go down as one of the finest cricketing achievements by a Sri Lanka side. Not only did Athapaththu smash 61 off 43 in the final, she was also by a huge distance the highest run-getter in the tournament: 304 runs in five innings, at a strike rate of 147. Before that, she also led Sri Lanka to a historic first bilateral T20I series win against South Africa. She finished the year as the second-highest run-scorer in T20Is, behind Smriti Mandhana, with 720 runs. Though Sri Lanka underperformed at the T20 World Cup, with four losses in as many matches, Athapaththu said after the Asia Cup victory that she believed "Sri Lanka women's cricket is in safe hands", a credit to how she has inspired a young side.
Sophie Devine
ODIs: P9 W2 L7
T20Is: P16 W6 L10
Devine had a roller coaster of a year as captain but in her storied career, she will now be remembered for delivering New Zealand women their first title in the T20I World Cup. New Zealand entered the tournament as rank outsiders on a ten-match losing streak in T20s after their 3-0 defeat against Australia. In the first ten months of 2024, New Zealand struggled to keep contests alive, relying heavily on the likes of Amelia Kerr and Devine herself, and weathering new lows along the way. But they turned it around in the UAE, where though they lost to Australia after beating India, they gathered unstoppable momentum to beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan West Indies, and then South Africa in the final. Devine lost more matches than she won in limited-overs cricket in 2024, but all of that didn't matter on October 20.
ODIs: P9 W2 L7
T20Is: P16 W6 L10
Devine had a roller coaster of a year as captain but in her storied career, she will now be remembered for delivering New Zealand women their first title in the T20I World Cup. New Zealand entered the tournament as rank outsiders on a ten-match losing streak in T20s after their 3-0 defeat against Australia. In the first ten months of 2024, New Zealand struggled to keep contests alive, relying heavily on the likes of Amelia Kerr and Devine herself, and weathering new lows along the way. But they turned it around in the UAE, where though they lost to Australia after beating India, they gathered unstoppable momentum to beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan West Indies, and then South Africa in the final. Devine lost more matches than she won in limited-overs cricket in 2024, but all of that didn't matter on October 20.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo