2022 Domestic and Young Cricketers of the Year named

Ahead of tomorrow’s 2022 Australian Cricket Awards, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) and Cricket Australia (CA) are proud to announce the winners of the peer-voted Domestic and Young Cricketer of the Year Awards.

For the domestic awards, the votes are collected from all players.

To be eligible for the Young Cricketer of the Year awards, players must be 24 years or less prior to the commencement of the award period and have not won the award previously.

Prior to the award period, male players must have played 10 or less first-class matches and 25 or less combined List A and BBL matches and female players 25 or less matches.

Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year - Darcie Brown (South Australia/Adelaide Strikers)

Eighteen-year-old Darcie Brown’s rise to one of the most exciting fast-bowling talents in cricket has been meteoric.

Brown completed her High School Certificate in the WBBL|06 hub in October 2020 before breaking out as a future star of the world’s leading domestic T20 competition in her debut season. That led to an international debut in each format in 2021.

Her form was rewarded with inclusion in Australia’s white-ball tour of New Zealand in March 2021, where she made her T20 and One-Day International debuts, before earning Australian women’s Test cap number 177 on the Gold Coast against India in September.

In 14 Weber WBBL|07 matches, Brown claimed 19 wickets at an average of 16 and was named in the official Team of the Tournament.

Upon accepting the award, Darcie Brown said:
“I’m really honoured to have won the Betty Wilson award, it is such a special award, especially being voted by my peers.

"I’ve loved the opportunities I’ve had to play for Australia and wouldn’t have been able to do so without support from my family and friends, and my teammates and coaches who have been able to push me to improve and help me enjoy my cricket.”

Previous winners:
2017: Sophie Molineux (Victoria/Melbourne Renegades)
2018: Georgia Redmayne (Tasmania/Hobart Hurricanes)
2019: Georgia Wareham (Victoria/Melbourne Renegades)
2020: Tayla Vlaeminck (Victoria/Melbourne Renegades)
2021: Hannah Darlington (NSW/Sydney Thunder)

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year - Tim Ward (Tasmania)

Tim Ward’s crowning as Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year is a testament to his high level of persistence and the strength of Premier Cricket in Australia.

Playing for Sydney Premier Cricket Club Parramatta, the 23-year-old continually knocked on the door for higher honours before an opportunity presented itself in Tasmania.

Ward’s six matches in the Marsh Sheffield Shield since debuting in April 2021 have drawn 506 runs at an average of 46, including a maiden century against Queensland and three half-centuries.

The left-hander joins a number of players who have relocated to Tasmania for greater opportunity, including Jackson Bird, Charlie Wakim, Nathan Ellis and 2014 Bradman Cricketer of the Year, Jordan Silk.

Upon accepting the award, Tim Ward said:

“Eighteen months ago, if you told me I’d win this award, I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s been quite surprising how fast I think I’ve grown as a cricketer since coming down to Tasmania and I’m honoured to receive the award.

“It means so much to win this award but when it’s voted by the players it’s extra special. Eighteen months ago, most of them wouldn’t have known who I was. So for them to vote for me, it means a lot.”

Previous winners:

2000: Brett Lee

2001: Nathan Bracken

2002: Shane Watson

2003: Nathan Hauritz

2004: Shaun Tait

2005: Mark Cosgrove

2006: Dan Cullen

2007: Ben Hilfenhaus

2008: Luke Pomersbach

2009: Phillip Hughes

2010: John Hastings

2011: Trent Copeland

2012: David Warner

2013: Joe Burns

2014: Jordan Silk

2015: Sean Abbott

2016: Alex Ross

2017: Hilton Cartwright

2018: Jhye Richardson

2019: Will Pucovski

2020: Wes Agar

2021: Will Sutherland

Female Domestic Player of the Year - Elyse Villani (Victoria/Tasmania/Melbourne Stars)

Elyse Villani becomes the first woman to win this award in consecutive seasons after a sensational 12 months.

The 32-year-old enjoyed an incredible run of form during the voting period and finished with five centuries and four half-centuries as she piled on 1,050 runs at an average of 61.8 across 24 matches.

Her unmatched WNCL output helped Victoria host the Final, while she also led the run scoring for the Melbourne Stars in WBBL|07.

Upon accepting the award, Elyse Villani said:

“I feel privileged to be awarded the Female Domestic Player of the Year, to know that it is a peer voted award makes it really special and something I hold close.

“Thank you to the girls I’ve played with and against in the past year, the competitions we play in get better each year and it’s amazing to see the development of women’s cricket, thank you for your efforts over the past season, particularly in trying circumstances.

“I am fortunate to play the sport I love for a living and am grateful to play alongside amazing teammates for incredible organisations, I feel lucky and humbled."

Previous winners:

2017: Meg Lanning (Victoria/Melbourne Stars)

2018: Beth Mooney (Queensland/Brisbane Heat)

2019: Heather Graham (Western Australia/Perth Scorchers)

2020: Molly Strano (Victoria/Melbourne Renegades)

2021: Elyse Villani (Victoria/Melbourne Stars)

Male Domestic Player of the Year - Travis Head (South Australia/Adelaide Strikers)

As evidenced by his destructive, match-defining innings in the recent Vodafone Ashes series, South Australia captain Travis Head has used the domestic competition to lay the platform for success at the international level.

Through 12 matches in the voting period, Head plundered 902 runs at an average of 50.1, with three centuries, including a mammoth 223 in a Marsh One-Day Cup match against Queensland in October.

Upon accepting the award, Travis Head said:

“I am honoured to receive this award and thank Cricket Australia and SACA for the opportunity to play cricket at the highest levels. Things like this are not possible without the hard work of teammates and coaches and I am extremely grateful to everyone who has helped me both on and off the field.

“I’d also like to thank the ACA for their help during the year, and for this award voted for by my peers. Domestic cricket in Australia is in a very strong position, something shown by our recent performances on the world stage. I love representing South Australia and hope to do so for many more years to come.

Previous winners:

2000: Darren Lehmann (South Australia)

2001: Darren Lehmann (South Australia)

2002: Darren Lehmann (South Australia)

2003: Martin Love (Queensland)

2004: Simon Katich (New South Wales)

2005: Andy Bichel (Queensland)

2006: Phil Jaques (New South Wales)

2007: Chris Rogers (Western Australia)

2008: Ashley Noffke (Queensland)

2009: Michael Klinger (South Australia)

2010: Michael Klinger (South Australia)

2011: Usman Khawaja (New South Wales)

2012: Rob Quiney (Victoria)

2013: Phillip Hughes (New South Wales)

2014: Cameron White (Victoria)

2015: Jason Behrendorff (Western Australia)

2016: Adam Voges (Western Australia)

2017: Cameron White (Victoria)

2018: George Bailey (Tasmania)

2019: Matthew Wade (Tasmania)

2020: Shaun Marsh (Western Australia)

2021: Shaun Marsh (Western Australia)