Although cricket is a team game, the players’ individual performances have the biggest say in it. Furthermore, during big events, the teams want their star players to show up and play their best.
The Women’s Cricket World Cup is similar to this. The 50-over tournament has come up with some fantastic individual displays, which have consequently determined the fate of their respective teams.
These players’ contributions have been acknowledged by giving them the Player of the Tournament title. Thus, this article will present the Player of the Tournament award winners in the Women’s Cricket World Cup.
2000 | Lisa Keightley
The Player of the Tournament award was given for the first time in the 2000 Women’s Cricket World Cup (CWC). The honour was first received by none other than Australia’s Lisa Keightley.
The batter was vital in the Australian squad’s journey to the sixth tournament final. Keightley amassed 375 runs at a stunning average of 75 in 8 innings.
Her score consisted of 4 fifties whereas she passed the 40 run mark 6 times. However, when it was the most crucial, Keightley got a duck in the final against New Zealand. Her early outing signified that Australia could not chase the 185 run target.
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2005 | Karen Rolton
Keightley wasn’t the only one who felt the disappointment in 2000. Her teammate Karen Rolton’s 393 runs also went unrewarded.
Yet in the next tournament edition, Rolton made sure that Australia was the winner with her all-around player. The left-handed batsman scored 246 runs, and, at the same time, captured 10 wickets in seven games.
And what do you think? Her best performance was in the finals against India. Her not out 107 run innings not only gave the Australian team 215 runs but also that winning of the fifth women’s CWC title was easily achieved as the opponents were kept down to 126 in their innings.
2009 | Claire Taylor
England wanted nothing more than to bring home another World Cup, a third one to be exact. Thus, they really needed a solid beginning in the tournament’s 2009 edition.
And indeed, England had an explosive start made possible by none other than Claire Taylor. The latter scored a brilliant 101 off just 95 balls, thus leading England to 277 for 5 against Sri Lanka, and then the English defense prevailed by 100 runs.
By the time England was crowned champions, Taylor had contributed with two fifties and 324 runs in total over seven matches to win the Player of the Tournament title.
2013 | Suzie Bates
Suzie Bates occupies a proclaimed and everlasting position in New Zealand cricket. She has been the one who frequently turned the match upside down with her all-round performances in favor of the White Ferns.
And one of such memorable days was during the 2013 World Cup, although it was while leading from the front. Bates scored a gargantuan total of 407 runs at an average of 67.83 including a century and three fifties. Moreover, she was handy with the ball too, taking four wickets.
However, New Zealand finished fourth in Super Six and did not reach the final despite Bates’ fantastic contribution.
2017 | Tammy Beaumont
Just like Claire Taylor who played the major role in England’s 2009 victory, the story was the same with Tammy Beaumont in 2017. The opener had a very shaky start in the tournament with a series of poor scores, but ended up gaining an impressive total.
It’s very hard to find many players able to bounce back after scores of 14, 14, and 12 but Beaumont is the one who did. She not only got back into form but did it in style, scoring 148 against South Africa.
At the end of the tournament, Beaumont had made 410 runs in nine matches, hence leading England to its fourth title.
2022 | Alyssa Healy
The Australian wicketkeeper had a very bad performance in the 2017 tournament, where she scored only 98 runs. But the 2022 season proved to be the year of Healy’s peak.
Though she could not really impress the audience in the first seven matches with 210 runs and two fifties to her name, she displayed her true talent in the knockout stages.
Alyssa posted 129 off 107 to lead Australia to 305 for 3 against the Windies in the semi-final. She then performed admirably in the final, piling up 170 off 138 to hand Australia its seventh World Cup title.
To sum up, Healy was the top scorer of the event with 509 runs in nine matches and thus bagged the Player of the Tournament title.
2025 | Deepti Sharma
In 2017, Deepti Sharma was almost the savior of India’s title quest, but the ball was not in her court. Fast-forward to 2025, she not only proved her all-round tag right but also did it on friendly pitch.
Deepti kicked off the tournament with a half-century and a three-wicket haul. Her lower-order batting support was very important, particularly in the knockouts.
And what about her bowling? It was terrific, taking at least one wicket in every match played, that was nine matches in total. And her best came in the final, where she literally tied South Africa with her 5 for 39.
Overall, Deepti scored 215 runs, including three-fifties and took 22 wickets thus making the history of India done.
