New Delhi: New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has become the youngest recipient of the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal after being named the country’s best male cricketer of the year. At 24, Ravindra, who emerged as the find of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, is the youngest winner in the award’s history.

In the women’s category, Amelia Kerr bagged the top honour at the New Zealand Cricket Awards.

Skipper Kane Williamson was awarded for his outstanding form in Test cricket with the ANZ Test Player of the Year Award. He also won the Redpath Cup for men’s first-class batting.

Ravindra took the ODI World Cup by storm, scoring 578 runs at an average of 64. He notched up three centuries and two half-centuries, including 123 not out in the World Cup opener against England in Ahmedabad. The youngster showed immense maturity to emerge as a batting mainstay at the mega-event in India.

Courtesy of his stellar display, Ravindra was named ICC’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2023. His splendid performances attracted interest from the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings, which bought him for Rs 1.80 crore at the IPL 2023 auction.

Ravindra also showed his mettle in red-ball cricket and scored New Zealand’s highest-ever maiden Test century (240) in the opening Test against South Africa at Bay Oval. He was one of the key performers in the 2-Test affair as the Kiwis secured their first-ever Test series victory over South Africa.

In T20 internationals, he played 14 of the 26 matches over the season and hit a blazing 68 from 35 balls in the first T20I against Australia at Sky Stadium last month.

Meanwhile, Kerr claimed all the major female awards, including the Debbie Hockley Medal after being announced as the ODI and T20I Player of the Year, along with the Dream11 Super Smash Women’s Player of the Year.

The leg-spinning allrounder was the top run-scorer for the White Ferns in women’s ODI cricket with 541 runs at an average of 67.00.

Kerr took the joint-most T20I wickets for the NZ women’s team and emerged as the second-highest T20I run scorer with 252 runs.

She was selected in the women’s ODI and T20I ICC Teams of the Year for 2023.