Wisden Cricket Monthly have selected a cross-format women’s XI of 2023, an all-star team covering all women’s international cricket. This article first appeared in issue 74 of Wisden Cricket Monthly.

Wisden Cricket Monthly’s women’s cross-format XI of 2023 – the selections

1. Chamari Athapaththu – Sri Lanka

8 ODIs, 415 runs at 69.16, 2 hundreds, 1 fifty, SR 125; 1 wicket at 98, economy 6.53
16 T20Is, 470 runs at 31.33, 3 fifties, SR 131; 8 wickets at 26.62, economy 5.97

Sri Lanka’s captain had a sensational year as leader of a rapidly improving side. Athapaththu’s all-guns-blazing approach set up maiden series wins against New Zealand (in ODIs) and England (in T20Is), while her innings of 140* from 80 balls against the Kiwis in Galle last July was arguably the innings of the year.

2. Beth Mooney (wk) – Australia

2 Tests, 191 runs at 47.75, 1 fifty, SR 53.65
13 ODIs, 439 runs at 62.71, 1 hundred, 2 fifties, SR 90
14 T20Is, 410 runs at 41, 4 fifties, SR 121

Mooney retains her place from 2022 after another prolific year which saw her top 1,000 runs across all formats and hit a brace of half-centuries in the semi-final and final of the T20 World Cup last February. She takes the gloves in this side having averaged 96 in ODIs while deputising behind the stumps for Alyssa Healy.

3. Hayley Matthews – West Indies

5 ODIs, 156 runs at 39, 1 hundred, SR 99; 5 wickets at 16, economy 3.47
14 T20Is, 700 runs at 63.63, 1 hundred, 4 fifties, SR 132; 19 wickets at 16.21, economy 6.84

The standout T20I performer of 2023, remarkably Matthews scooped eight consecutive Player of the Match awards in the format and produced one of the all-time great individual series against Australia in October when she made scores of 99*, 132 and 79 in a 2-1 series loss.

4. Nat Sciver-Brunt – England

2 Tests, 137 runs at 34.25, 2 fifties, SR 74; 1 wicket at 79, economy 3.16
6 ODIs, 393 runs at 131, 3 hundreds, SR 107; 3 wickets at 38.66, economy 4.83
10 T20Is, 364 runs at 45.50, 3 fifties, SR 136; 5 wickets at 33.40, economy 7.59

Sciver-Brunt scaled new heights by peeling off three tons in five ODI knocks in 2023, including two during the Ashes to help England level the series. She also top-scored for her country in the T20 World Cup, blitzing 81* from 40 balls against Pakistan. Named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2022, the 31-year-old all-rounder is a strong contender to retain the trophy.

5. Ellyse Perry – Australia

2 Tests, 173 runs at 43.25, 1 fifty, SR 56; 1 wicket at 70, economy 5
12 ODIs, 467 runs at 66.71, 5 fifties, SR 91; 1 wicket at 79, economy 5.26
14 T20Is, 319 runs at 45.57, 3 fifties, SR 151; 6 wickets at 9.5, economy 4.75

Perry is not the force she once was with the ball, not helped by a knee injury suffered last July, but her batting has been transformed, with her strike rate rocketing to previously unseen levels. Among players to score more than 200 T20I runs in 2023, only her teammate Annabel Sutherland scored more quickly, and, at 33, she continues to expand her already formidable game.

6. Amelia Kerr – New Zealand

9 ODIs, 541 runs at 67.62, 2 hundreds, 3 fifties, SR 88; 8 wickets at 46.12, economy 4.96
12 T20Is, 365 runs at 36.50, 3 fifties, SR 116; 12 wickets at 19.08, economy 5.47

The third of six spin-bowling all-rounders in our side, Kerr earns her place through her returns with the bat, particularly in ODI cricket where she scored more runs than any other woman in 2023. Still only 23, the Kiwi is on a superb run of form which has seen her average 60.85 in ODIs since the start of 2022.

7. Ash Gardner – Australia

2 Tests, 59 runs at 14.75, SR 45; 17 wickets at 16.64, 1 five-for, 1 ten-wicket match, economy 2.96
13 ODIs, 188 runs at 31.33, 1 fifty, SR 120; 8 wickets at 16.37, economy 4.2
14 T20Is, 234 runs at 29.25, SR 121; 17 wickets at 19.70, 1 five-for, economy 7.33

Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup and outstanding during the Ashes – where she took match figures of 12-165, including 8-66 in the fourth innings, to bowl Australia to victory in the Test at Trent Bridge – Gardner is perhaps pound-for-pound the most valuable player in the women’s game, her clean striking and livewire fielding making her an irresistible all-round package.

8. Deepti Sharma – India

2 Tests, 165 runs at 55, 2 fifties, SR 55; 11 wickets at 10.81, 1 five-for, economy 2.18
5 ODIs, 66 runs at 16.5, SR 62; 8 wickets at 20.37, 1 five-for, economy 3.62
19 T20Is, 106 runs at 15.14, SR 103; 21 wickets at 16.38, economy 5.79

The 26-year-old all-rounder was instrumental in India’s impressive Test match wins over England and Australia at the back end of the year, taking match figures of 9-37 and making a half-century in the former, and scoring a crucial 78 from No.8 in the latter. She was exceptional, too, in India’s Asia Cup triumph, named Player of the Series after taking 13 wickets at 7.69.

9. Annabel Sutherland – Australia

2 Tests, 195 runs at 65, 1 hundred, SR 54; 3 wickets at 42, economy 4.42
13 ODIs, 263 runs at 43.83, 1 hundred, 1 fifty, SR 107; 13 wickets at 22.92, economy 4.88
9 T20Is, 64 runs at 12.8, SR 156; 4 wickets at 39.75, economy 6.91

Scored the fastest Test century by an Australian woman, and the first from No.8 or lower in women’s Tests, at Trent Bridge in June, setting the platform for a thrilling win. Sutherland also excelled with bat and ball in ODIs and has established herself as an integral cog in the Aussie machine.

10. Sophie Ecclestone – England

2 Tests, 37 runs at 9.25, SR 46; 15 wickets at 23.93, 2 five-fors, 1 ten-wicket match
3 ODIs, 16 runs at 8, SR 67; 5 wickets at 23.80, economy 4.4
11 T20Is, 45 runs at 11.25, SR 129; 23 wickets at 10.6, economy 5.65

More of the same from England’s metronome, who topped the wicket-taking charts at the T20 World Cup despite her team suffering a shock semi-final exit to South Africa. Her display in the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge – returning match figures of 10-192 – was a feat of skill and endurance. It’s hard to imagine a year when she doesn’t make this team.

11. Lea Tahuhu – New Zealand

9 ODIs, 53 runs at 26.5, SR 96; 15 wickets at 20.86, economy 4.71
9 T20Is, 16 runs at 5.33, SR 94; 14 wickets at 13.5, economy 6.51

Overlooked for a national contract in 2022, the 33-year-old Kiwi seamer roared back into life last year, leading her country’s wicket-taking charts in both ODIs and T20Is. Excelled with eight wickets at 11.87 at the T20 World Cup in an otherwise poor showing from the White Ferns.

Wisden Cricket Monthly’s women’s cross-format XI of 2023 – the line-up

1. Chamari Athapaththu
2. Beth Mooney (wk)
3. Hayley Matthews
4. Nat Sciver-Brunt
5. Ellyse Perry
6. Amelia Kerr
7. Ash Gardner
8. Deepti Sharma
9. Annabel Sutherland
10. Sophie Ecclestone
11. Lea Tahuhu

This article first appeared in issue 74 of Wisden Cricket Monthly – order a copy here.