Wicketkeeper-batswoman Alyssa Healy claimed her first Belinda Clark Award alongside the T20I and ODI player of the year titles at the Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne on Monday following a stunning year with bat and gloves at international level.
Healy winning the award made it the first time in five years that it has not gone to either skipper Meg Lanning or allrounder Ellyse Perry. The pair has shared the honours between 2014 and 2018 as Lanning won it three times while Perry bagged it twice.
The 28-year-old played a crucial role in Australia's victorious World T20 in the Caribbean, becoming the player of the tournament as she scored 225 runs at 56.25. Healy smashed 329 runs at 54.83 in six ODIs, with a best of 133 - her maiden international hundred against India.
The award was presented by Clark herself, who is the Cricket Australia's interim executive general manager of team performance and a champion of community cricket.
"To win an award with Belinda Clark's name on it is something every female cricketer dreams of and it is something I will cherish forever," Cricket Australia quoted Healy, as saying after receiving the award.
It was the first time that there had been separate T20I and ODI awards in the women's categories.
Healy, who debuted for Australia in 2010, totalled 128 votes to win the award by a massive margin, ahead of spearhead Megan Schutt with 81 votes, while allrounders Ashleigh Gardner (71) and Ellyse Perry (60) finished third and fourth respectively under the system that factors in votes from players, team officials, media and umpires.
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