Cricket

Sydney Sixers have pulled off a major coup by signing New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr on a three-year deal, taking advantage of the WBBL's new contracting rules. Kerr, ranked as the world's No. 2 allrounder, joins the Sixers after three successful seasons with the Brisbane Heat.The new rules allow each WBBL club to sign one player outside of the overseas draft, a move designed to retain talent and counter the lure of overseas leagues. The Sixers have made the most of this opportunity by securing the services of one of the most sought-after players in the world.Kerr has been a standout performer for the Heat, winning the club's player-of-the-year award three times. She is a versatile allrounder, capable of contributing with both bat and ball. As a batter, she has scored over 1,000 runs in the WBBL, including a century in the 2021-22 season. With the ball, she has taken 62 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.42.The 23-year-old's decision to join the Sixers was influenced by her family ties to Sydney. Her sister, Jess, played for the Sixers last season, and the opportunity to be closer to family was a major factor in her decision."It was an extremely hard decision to leave Brisbane as the players and staff there have been nothing but good to me," Kerr said. "But with the scheduling of women's cricket there is not much downtime and being based in Sydney was a big part of my decision."The Heat attempted to retain Kerr under the pre-draft multi-year contract system, but ultimately her desire to be closer to family swayed her decision."The Heat were keen to retain Melie and put a competitive offer to her," said Queensland's head of cricket, Joe Dawes. "However, we understand that being near to family is important in this stage of her life."Kerr's departure is a significant loss for the Heat, but the Sixers will be delighted to have secured her services. She is a world-class player who will undoubtedly make a major contribution to their team.

Rachin Ravindra and Amelia Kerr emerged as the shining stars at the New Zealand Cricket Awards, held in Christchurch on Wednesday. Ravindra, at just 24 years old, became the youngest recipient of the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, the highest honor in men's cricket in New Zealand. Kerr, on the other hand, retained her Debbie Hockley Medal for the second consecutive year, recognizing her exceptional contributions to women's cricket.Ravindra's award capped a remarkable season where he made an indelible mark on the international stage. He emerged as a rising star at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, amassing 578 runs at an impressive average of 64, including three centuries. His maiden Test hundred, a magnificent 240 at Bay Oval, played a pivotal role in New Zealand's historic Test series victory against South Africa.Kerr's dominance extended beyond the Debbie Hockley Medal, as she also swept the ODI and T20I Player of the Year awards, along with the Super Smash Women's Player of the Year honor. She led New Zealand's ODI run-scoring charts with 541 runs at an average of 67, while also being their joint-highest T20I wicket-taker and second-highest T20I run-scorer with 252 runs at a strike rate of 118.Kane Williamson, the New Zealand Test captain, was named Test Player of the Year and also received the Redpath Cup for men's first-class batting. Williamson's consistent performances yielded 619 runs at an average of 56, including four centuries in the six Tests considered for the award. Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner were recognized as the ODI and T20I Players of the Year, respectively.The Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding service to cricket was bestowed upon Trudy Anderson, who played a pivotal role in the operations of Canterbury Cricket for 21 years. Her contributions extended to major events such as the 2015 ODI World Cup, the 2022 Women's World Cup, and the 2010 and 2018 Men's U-19 World Cups.