There was a time when not many people cared about the term "Mental Health". To be fair, it is something that most people simply neglected. but times are changing and with that, the awareness of our wellbeing and mental health is increasing as well. Over the past few years, we saw spotspersons of the likes of Virat Kohli, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Glen Maxwell speaking about mental health and its significance. This time, the New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr speaks about her journey with it.

Read also: ICC Women's World Cup 2022, Match 9: Pakistan Women vs South Africa Women Full Preview, Match Details, Probable XIs, Pitch Report, and Dream11 Team Prediction

Amelia Kerr was sent home from a training camp of the New Zealand women's team for safety reasons. Her close friend and teammate Maddy Green accompanied her while returning home. Maddy has been one of her biggest companions in Kerr's journey of anxiety and depression. The all-rounder hid all her struggles from her family in the beginning but they came to know everything later. Her parents took yer to the hospital the very next day and that started her journey to reach where she is today, mentally.

I wasn't sleeping at all: Amelia Kerr

Mental health does not only break the affected person but also affects the entire family. Amelia's experience was quite similar as well. She said, "I've never seen my dad so broken in his life. That was the thing that really was like, Wow, for me. Then I got taken to the crisis team at the emergency department and got into a psychiatrist. I think if my family didn't get involved, I would still be suffering now. It just felt so suffocating. I wasn't sleeping at all and I just felt like I was wasting away. It felt like you were slowly drowning."

Speaking of her family's support, she said, "I needed that confronting experience, and all of that to happen for me to get to where I am. My family has been amazing. I have a huge extended family and we're all extremely close. For so long I couldn't tell my family because they were the closest people to me and I didn't want to hurt them because I knew they would find it hard seeing me struggle. I tried to hide it from them, but they needed to know what I was going through because when they did find out, it was the most important thing and they got a plan in place. It made me realize how important that was to tell them and how much you are loved as well."

She could feel the hardships of mental health during New Zealand's tour of Australia in September 2020 and also WBBL with Brisbane Heat. Kerr had to stay away from her family for a long time and it badly triggered her health mentally. Only the sport she loves, "Cricket", kept her sane. She continued her training as it was the only way to throw away all the negativity and issues. She did not feel overwhelmed and stayed in a focused zone while playing.

It's a bit scary to think that she is only 21: Sophie Devine

Sophie Devine, the White Ferns captain, has a good old relationship with the Kerr household. Devine was the babysitter to the Kerr sisters. She said, "The thing that impresses me most about Melie is, she's always hungry to get better. And she tries to surround herself with people that are going to push her.

"She spends hours and hours and hours just hitting balls or out in the field or just wanting to talk cricket, so I think she's going to continue to get better and better as a player. It's a bit scary to think that she is only 21 because it feels like she's been around for yonks, but I think she's certainly got so much more to give to this game as well," Devine says.

Amelia broke her right hand's ring finger during May 2021 while catching drill. This was the time when her mental health started taking a toll and it was degrading. "My mind would just race and there would be little voices in my head. That was a scary time but I'm glad that I've gone through it and understand it more because I don't want it to happen again. It was extremely tough. It just felt so suffocating. I wasn't sleeping at all and I think the lack of sleep obviously doesn't help, but I just felt like I was wasting away. It felt like you were slowly drowning - that's what it felt like."

She started the healing process and started visiting a psychologist in 2020. Kerr is still under medication and in a lot better state of mind. Throughout her journey, Devine remained huge support. Devine decided to stay away from the sport last year to take care of her mental health as she was dealing with anxiety, depression, and exhaustion.

There is a perceived notion that players need to be strong-headed at all times. These bio-bubbles, staying away from loved ones are playing with players' mental health. At the end of the day, they are humans too and they also need love, care, and peace of mind.

Mumbai Indians extended their winning streak to 5-0 against Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League as they defeated them by six wickets on Tuesday in Vadodara. The WPL 2023 champions chased down Gujarat’s 121-run target with 5 wickets in hands and 23 balls to go in the match. 

MI made two changes in the playing XI

Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and handed debut caps to two young India U-19 champions G Kamalini and Parunika Sisodia before electing to bowl first. Both Kamalini and Sisodia were part of the India team which won the U-19 Women’s World Cup earlier this year. Kamalini and Sisodia replaced Jintimani Kalita and Saika Ishaque in the playing XI for them. 

Meantime, Gujarat Giants had an unchanged XI from their win against UP Warriorz on Sunday. 

Making her debut in 𝑀𝐼 𝐵𝓁𝓊𝑒𝓈, it's #MumbaiIndians' 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 - G. Kamalini! 💙#AaliRe #TATAWPL #GGvMI pic.twitter.com/5mTfmzKbii

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) February 18, 2025

Great start for MI bowlers

Nat Sciver-Brunt struck early for Mumbai, dismissing Beth Mooney for 1 in the second over. In the next over Shabnim Ismail struck to dismiss Laura Wolvaardt for 4. Hayley Matthews then finished Gujarat’s top three by dismissing Dayalan Hemalatha on 9 in the next over.

At 16/3, Gujarat’s only hope was their captain Ashleigh Gardner who had struck back-to-back fifties in the first two games. But in the last over of the power play, Nat Sciver-Brunt got the big fish of Gardner on 10 and all Giants were in deep trouble. 

Harleen Deol (32 off 31) tried her best to assess the situation and take the inning as deep as she could. But, the Indian batter kept losing partners from the other end. Kashvee Gautam was the other batter who reached the 20-run mark but could only add that many runs on the board. 

Hayley Matthews finished with three wickets for 16 while Nat Sciver-Brunt and Amelia Kerr took two wickets each to bundle out Giants for 120 in the first inning.

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Shaky start to MI's chase

During the chase Giants got rid of Hayley Matthews (17 off 19) in the fourth over through Tanuja Kanwar to start a possible comeback. Yastika Bhatia also could only add 8 for Mumbai. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also got out in the second ball, after striking a boundary in the first ball against Kashvee Gautam.

But, just like the first match, Nat Sciver-Brunt was the saviour with the bat for Mumbai Indians. With Amelia Kerr (19 off 20), Nat built a 45-run partnership to take Mumbai’s total to 100. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt to rescue MI

Run scoring was not that easy on that wicket but Nat Sciver-Brunt was like playing on a different surface all-together. The English all-rounder completed her second fifty of the season in 33 balls. Nat though could not finish the job as she dragged one down to the stumps from Priya Mishra on 57 from 39 balls. 

S Sajana hit the winning runs for Mumbai as they chased down the total with 23 balls remaining in the inning. With this win, they have now moved up to the number two position on the points table. 

What did the captains say after the match?

 "We just lost wickets in clumps. We put a lot of onus on the top order to score a bulk of the runs but it wasn't to be (tonight)," Gardner said in the post-match presentation. 

"Whatever we talked about in the team meetings, we executed. Really happy everything went according to our plans. The first six overs are very important. Our bowlers did a great job," Harmanpreet Kaur stated. 

Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians: Match Summary

𝐌𝐈 𝟓-𝟎 𝐆𝐆 🔥

Mumbai Indians extend their lead over Gujarat Giants over 5-0 after a stunning five wickets win.

Nat Sciver-Brunt with another fifty plus score for Mumbai Indians. #GGvsMI #GujaratGiants #WPL2025 #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/WDCBgxCOBB

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 18, 2025

Harmanpreet Kaur's Mumbai Indians will take Gujarat Giants in the Match No. 5 in Women's Premier League 2025 looking for their first win of the season. Here is everything you need to know before the Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians clash in WPL 2025. 

Match Details 

Match: Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians

Tournament: WPL 2025, Match No. 5

Date: 18 February 2025

Time: 7.30 pm IST

Venue: BCA Stadium, Vadodara

Streaming Details

Cricket fans from Indian can watch the Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians match LIVE on Star Sports TV Channels on Television. They can also stream the match LIVE on JioHotstar for free.

GG vs MI: Head-to-head stats in WPL

Gujarat Giants have never won against the mighty Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League history. In the 4 games they have played against Mumbai Indians, they have faced huge defeats so far. 

Team News: Gujarat Giants

Gujarat Giants under new captain Ashleigh Gardner have looked a far better side, specially as a batting unit. After scoring 201 against RCB in their first match, they chased down 144 with two overs to go against UP Warriorz in their second match. 

In both the games, captain Ashleigh Garner was the star of the show. She scored fifties in both the games and registered the feat as the first Gujarat Giants batter. With 131 runs in two matches, she is currently the Orange cap holder of WPL 2025. 

𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐏𝐋 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫

vs UPW 52 & 2/39
vs RCB 79* & 2/33

The Aussie all-rounder is loving the new captaincy role in WPL 2025!#UPWvGG #UPWvsGG #WPL2025 #GujaratGiants pic.twitter.com/Oyjho5z0pr

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 16, 2025

The bowling line up also did better in the second match, after getting bashed down against RCB in the first match. Priya Mishra was excellent with here three-wicket haul against UP Warriorz.

However, it is the all-rounder Dendra Dottin, who has been the "missing link" for them this season as the West Indian powerhouse has been solid for them. 

The Orange army would love to continue their winning run and momentum. Thus, we can expect no changes in the playing XI as well. However, toss would be a vital factor in the match as chasing has looked an easier task in Vadodara with the dew in effect. 

Team News: Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians after their defeat in the last ball of the match at the hands of Delhi Capitals would love to turn their fortunes. Harmanpreet Kaur in the post match presentation had stated that the batters who were set including herself needed to score big to get a total closer to 180 or plus. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt as usual looked by far the best batter from their team with a solid unbeaten 80 from 59 balls. However, she lacked support from the other as Mumbai were only able to put 164 on the board. They would love to have players like Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia and Amelia Kerr. 

However, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr were superb with the ball in hand along with Shabnim Ismail. Except for Saika Ishaque, who went for 43 in her 4 overs, everyone was on point with their bowling effort. 

With only one game behind them, Mumbai are unlikely to change and chop many things this early. So, we can expect the same playing eleven against a team they have never lost. 

Read Also | Top Female Cricketers Who Are Making History

Possible lineups 

Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner (C), Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwar, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam.

Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amelia Kerr, S Sajana, Amanjot Kaur, Sanskriti Gupta, Jintimani Kalita, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque.

Fantasy Team Prediction

Yastika Bhatia (wk), Hayley Matthews, Ashleigh Gardner (C), Nat Sciver-Brunt (VC), Harmanpreet Kaur, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwar, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque.

Women’s cricket is constantly growing, and matches are continuously being played on a bigger stage with larger crowds. 

There are female cricketers who paved the way for others and continuously tried to grow the game even when only the smallest spotlight was on the sport, and such players need commending for their efforts. 

So, let's dig into the incredible careers and achievements of some of the best female cricketers who are making history.

Top Female Cricketers

10. Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka 

Chamari Athapaththu is the greatest cricketer from Sri Lanka to have played women’s cricket. 

Debuting as a 19-year-old, she was soon noted for her aggressive batting. 

She became captain of the Sri Lanka national team and has helped a not-so-strong team challenge much more formidable opponents on the global stage.

In 2024 she led Sri Lanka to an underdog win in the Asia Cup women’s T20I series and finished as Player of the Tournament. 

Chamari has also led Sri Lanka to its first-ever series wins over South Africa and England in T20Is and over New Zealand in ODIs. 

She holds the record for most runs for Sri Lanka in women’s ODIs and T20Is, and her nine women’s ODI hundreds are a Sri Lankan record as well. 

In April 2024, her unbeaten 195 helped Sri Lanka complete the first-ever successful chase of more than 300 runs in a women’s ODI.

In 2023, a seating zone at the Sydney Cricket Ground was named “Chamari Bay” in her honor.

9. Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa 

Laura Wolvaardt made her debut for South Africa as an opening batter at age 16, and by age 25 she became her country’s record holder for most ODI runs, most ODI hundreds, and most T20I runs in women’s cricket. 

Along the way, she became the youngest centurion, male or female, for South Africa in international cricket. 

In 2024 Wolvaardt became only the third woman to score a hundred in all three formats of international cricket, achieving the feat in a Test vs. India. 

After that, she was also named captain of the South Africa T20I team for the World Cup and captained her side to the final where it lost to New Zealand.

8. Heather Knight | England 

Heather Knight took over as captain of the England women’s team in 2016 when Charlotte Edwards retired and led it to victory in the 2017 women’s ODI World Cup at home. 

She was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year that year and was also awarded an OBE. 

As of 2024 Knight has more than 5,000 runs in international cricket.

7. Amelia Kerr | New Zealand 

Amelia Kerr is a third-generation New Zealand cricketer who emerged on the international scene with a bang. 

At age 16, she was the youngest to earn a New Zealand Cricket contract and to debut for the national team in 2017. 

The next year, at 17, she became the youngest cricketer, man or woman, to score an international double century. During that innings, she beat the women’s ODI record held by Belinda Clark on her way to an unbeaten 232.

Not content with scoring a double, she also took 5 wickets while bowling in one of the all-time great all-round displays. 

Kerr has since been a consistent performer for New Zealand and in 2024 was named both the Player of the Final and the Player of the Tournament as New Zealand won the women’s T20I World Cup.

6. Hayley Matthews | West Indies 

Hayley Matthews is a cricketer from Barbados who plays for the West Indies women’s cricket team and became the team’s captain in 2022. 

Matthews is an all-rounder who has more than 4,000 runs in women’s ODIs and T20Is, as well as more than 100 wickets in each format. 

A natural athlete, she played both track and field and cricket in her youth, before focusing on cricket and making her debut for the West Indies. 

Her crowning glory was a Player of the Match performance in the women’s T20I World Cup final in 2016, as the West Indies beat favorites Australia to win its first title.

Matthews is a highly sought after player in franchise leagues across the world and was Player of the Tournament in the first edition of the WPL in 2023, when she helped her team, Mumbai Indians, win the title.

5. Nat Sciver-Brunt | England 

Nat Sciver-Brunt plays international cricket for England. She has scored more than 6,000 international runs with 10 centuries and taken more than 150 wickets as of 2024. 

She is credited with inventing the “Natmeg” shot, in which she hits the ball between her legs for runs. 

In 2013 she became the first England bowler to take a women’s T20I hat trick.

Nat Sciver was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023. 

She is married to fellow England cricketer Katherine Sciver-Brunt.

4. Ellyse Perry | Australia 

Ellyse Perry is one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket based on sheer numbers: a Test batting average of over 60, a Test bowling average below 22, and women’s ODI batting and bowling averages of 50 and 25, respectively. 

In 2007, at age 16, Perry became the youngest Australian to play international cricket. 

She is also the first Australian to have appeared in cricket as well as football (soccer) World Cups, playing the latter in 2011 in Germany. 

She has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award twice, in 2017 and 2019. 

In 2020 she was named the ICC Female Player of the Decade. Perry is one of the most famous female cricketers in the world.

3. Harmanpreet Kaur | India

Harmanpreet Kaur debuted for India in 2009 but is best remembered for an unbeaten innings of 171, which helped underdogs India beat Australia to reach the final of the 2017 women’s ODI World Cup.

The knock made her a household name in India and helped take the popularity of the women’s game to the next level. 

She has also scored India’s fastest T20I hundred off only 49 balls. Harmanpreet has more than 7,000 international runs and more than 70 wickets. 

In 2016 she became the first Indian cricketer to sign a contract with the Australian Big Bash League, playing for Sydney Thunder. In 2017 she was awarded the Arjuna Award. 

Picked as captain by the Mumbai Indians in the WPL, she led them to victory in the inaugural season of the WPL in 2023. She was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year the same year.

Harmanpreet has also captained the Indian women’s national team across formats since 2016.

2. Alyssa Healy | Australia 

Alyssa Healy is a wicketkeeper batsman who captains the Australian women’s national team.

She had a middling batting record until 2017 but has since remodeled herself into a formidable opening batter. 

In 2018 she was Player of the Tournament in Australia’s women’s T20I World Cup win; she was named Women’s T20I Player of the Year that year. 

Healy was also Player of the Match when Australia successfully defended its T20I title in the 2020 final. 

She continued her big-match streak with a Player of the Match performance in the 2022 women’s ODI World Cup final, scoring a mammoth 170 runs and earning the Player of the Series award. 

In 2020 Healy surpassed MS Dhoni’s record for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in T20Is by any keeper, male or female. 

1. Smriti Mandhana | India

Currently regarded as one of the best batters in women’s cricket, Smriti Mandhana holds several coveted records to her name.

She has scored more than 7,000 international runs with more than 10 hundreds across formats. 

Her nine ODI hundreds are an Indian women’s record. 

She captained her state team Maharashtra in 2013 at just age 16 and debuted for India the same year. 

Mandhana was the costliest buy in the inaugural WPL auction and was picked by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as captain for 3.4 crore rupees. 

She led RCB to victory in the second edition of the WPL in 2024. 

Mandhana won the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year award in 2018. She has also won the Rachael Hayhoe Flint Award for Best Women’s Cricketer of the Year twice, in 2018 and 2021.

Joe Root, Harry Brook and Jasprit Bumrah were nominated for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year while Chamari Athapathu and Laura Wolvaardt were nominated for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the year in ICC Awards 2024. 

The ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year will receive the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. On the other hand, the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year will get the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

Brook, Root, Bumrah and Head dominated men’s cricket

Harry Brook produced fireworks in all formats during a memorable year on the international stage, lighting up England’s Test, ODI and T20I encounters with explosive hitting and boasting an average of over 50 in all three formats.

His compatriot Joe Root earns a nomination following a scintillating year in the longest format, having struck more runs (1,556) and more centuries (six) than any other batter.

Another star performer at the peak of his powers in 2024 was India’s pace sensation, Jasprit Bumrah, who dominated batters in World Test Championship duels and inspired India’s surge to glory at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June, clinching the Player of the Tournament with 15 wickets at a phenomenal average of 8.24.

The final name on the list for the coveted accolade is Australia all-rounder Travis Head. The top ranked Men’s T20I batter will be aiming to go one better than his nomination in the same category last year, after hitting almost 1,400 runs across all formats with trademark flair.

Wolvaardt and Athapathu nominated in Women’s category 

The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year sees Sri Lanka’s Chamari  Athapaththu and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt nominated in their third category, after both captains were honoured on the ODI and T20I shortlists on Sunday.

Athapaththu was an inspirational leader for Sri Lanka, hitting over 1,100 runs during the year across formats, taking 30 wickets and famously guiding her team to an historic first Asia Cup success in front of their home crowd.

Leading batter in the ICC Women’s ODI Batter Rankings, Wolvaardt was at her sublime best in 2024, scoring over 1,500 runs in all formats, and led from the front as South Africa reached their second successive Women’s T20 World Cup final in the UAE.

Amelia Kerr was the principal architect of South Africa’s defeat in that final, and she is among the nominees for the Heyhoe Flint Trophy after another stellar year with bat and ball in which she hit 651 runs and took 43 wickets, not to mention her starring role in a record-breaking campaign as Player of the Tournament at the Women’s T20WC.

The final name in contention is Australia’s Annabel Sutherland. The 23-year-old wowed during a breakthrough year, hitting the fastest ever double-century in women’s Tests against South Africa in February and recording Player of the Series accolades in notable victories over India and New Zealand at the latter end of the year. She ends the year with 615 runs and 37 wickets.

Brook, Mendis, Root and Bumrah in Men’s Test Cricketer of the year list 

Finally, the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year shortlist features a dazzling quartet, three of whom have been honoured on the shortlist for the Sobers Trophy.

Harry Brook hit 1,100 Test runs during the calendar year at an average of 55.00, and four centuries, including an unforgettable triple-hundred in England’s opening victory over Pakistan in Multan back in October.

He shared a 454-run stand with Joe Root in that match, and his teammate celebrates back-to-back nominations in the Test category after a year in which he surpassed ICC Hall of Famer Sir Alastair Cook to become England’s all-time highest run-scorer in the longest format and seized back the number one spot in the ICC Men’s Test Batter Rankings.

Jasprit Bumrah is the lone bowler shortlisted with a sterling 71 wickets in Tests in 2024 – the highest of any bowler, at an average of 14.92. With electric spells coming against South Africa, England and Australia among his highlights, the top-ranked Test bowler spearheaded India’s attack with relentless pace, accuracy and threat.

Completing the lineup is Sri Lanka’s record-breaking batter Kamindu Mendis, who ends a breakthrough year with 1,049 runs at a phenomenal average of 74.92, and during which the 26-year-old also became the first batter to hit a half-century in each of his first eight Tests and the fastest batter in 75 years to reach 1,000 Test runs

After beating New Zealand by 75 runs at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Monday, Australia have moved to an unassailable lead in the ICC Women's Championship race, eventually winning the title. 

With the win in the third WODI of the series, Australia completed their 24-match campaign with 39 points (17 wins, three no-results, three defeats). They are beyond the reach of any other teams in the competition.

The most successful team in ICC Events now have become the first team to complete the three-peat of ICC Women's Championship title-winning campaigns. They had won the title back in 2014-16 and 2017-18 cycles as well. 

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India, who still have two ODI matches against the West Indies, can only reach a maximum of 37 points after the series. Thus, with the win, Alyssa Healy's team claimed the title for the third time. This also means that Australia still are the only team to win the ICC Women's Championship title.

Sri Lanka's gain and pressure for New Zealand

With Australia's win, Sri Lanka also claimed an automatic spot for next year's ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 in India.

Now, New Zealand (21 points) can be overtaken by Bangladesh ((three matches to play, 19 points earned) and West Indies (five matches to play, 14 points earned) in the race to the next year's ODI World Cup. If the White Ferns fail to qualify via automatic spot, they will have to play in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier where six teams will compete for the final two spots of the tournament.

Read Also | ICC Trophies won by New Zealand

What happened in the third ODI?

Phoebe Litchfield and Alyssa Healy put up a solid 88-run partnership for the opening position which enabled Annabel Sutherland (42 from 43 balls ) and Ash Gardner (74 from 62 balls) to take Australia to 290 in the first inning. 

Though the hosts looked good at 106/1 after the 20th over, Suize Bates and Melie Kerr's dismissal helped Australia to regain the momentum. Annabel Sutherland (3/39) and Alana King (3/34) then bundled the opponents out for 215 to clinch the series and the title.