Picking the best women's ODI 11 of 2023 ft. Jemimah Rodrigues 

The second ODI between India women's and Australia women's teams on Saturday (December 30) concluded what was a fantastic year for women's cricket.

With the T20 World Cup in February and the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) earlier this year and the Women's T20I Asian Games, the major focus was on the shortest format of the game.

Having said that, there was quite a lot of action in the ODIs as well. The Australian team (13) played the most number of Women's ODIs in 2023, followed by Pakistan (12) and Bangladesh (11). The Indian women's side played five WODIs.

Across the 50 WODIs played throughtout the year, fans saw some remarkable individual performances, with both the bat and the ball.

On that note, let's take a look at the best women's ODI XI of 2023.

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Openers: Chamari Athapaththu and Phoebe Litchfield

Phoebe Litchfield during India vs Australia Cricket ODI [Getty Images]

Two left-handers, Chamari Athapaththu and Phoebe Litchfield, will be the two openers on this imaginary team. The two players are on opposite ends of their careers, with Litchfield being the younger one.

Sri Lankan superstar Athapaththu had a terrific 2023. In the eight WODIs Athapaththu played in 2023, she scored 415 runs at an average of 69.16 and at a powerful strike rate of 125.37 (the most for any other player with over 120 runs). She even hammered two centuries in the year, including a series-clinching 140* against the New Zealand women's side in Galle in July.

Phoebe Litchfield has been recognized as the permanent replacement for Meg Lanning after she announced her retirement earlier this year. Born in 2003, Litchfield was one of the most prolific batters in WODIs in 2023. She scored 485 runs at an average of 53.88, including four half-centuries and a ton.

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Middle-order: Amelia Kerr and Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues during India vs Australia [Getty Images]

There was no stopping Amelia Kerr this year. The New Zealand No. 3 batter broke most of the records in 2023 as she remained the only women's cricketer to score over 500 runs. In nine WODIs, Kerr scored 541 runs at an average of 67.62 and a strike rate of 87.68.

Remarkably, eight out of nine times she managed to at least reach the double-digit score for New Zealand. She also scored a couple of centuries.

The only Indian on the playing XI is none other than Jemimah Rodrigues. In just five appearances, Rodrigues amassed 255 runs at a brilliant average of 63.75 and at a strike rate of above 90.

She has been India's highest run-getter in the ongoing series against Australia and will look to continue her red-hot form in the upcoming matches as well.

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All-rounders: Sohpie Devine, Nadine de Klerk, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland

Sophie Devine during New Zealand v Pakistan - Women's ODI Game 3 [Getty Images]

The all-round department of the best XI will include the likes of Sophie Devine, Nadine de Klerk, Ashleigh Gardner, and Annabel Sutherland. All the players had a wonderful year and contributed massively to their respective teams' success.

A player with vast experience on her side, Devine backed her superb 2022 with another great season for New Zealand. She played nine WODIs in 2023 and smashed 346 runs at an average of 43.25.

Her strike rate of 108.12 was the second-best among the batters who scored over 200 runs. Apart from this, she has also picked up 12 wickets with her medium-pace bowling.

South Africa's exuberant all-rounder Nadine de Klerk ended up as her side's highest wicket-taker in 2023. Klerk scalped 16 wickets at an immaculate average of 16.68.

Two Australian all-rounders in Ashleigh Gardner and Annabel Sutherland also feature in the team. Both the talented players have performed consistently well and have been the mainstays of the mighty Australian side.

Gardner, 26, ended up as the highest wicket-taker of the year with 24 scalps in just 12 innings at a superb bowling average of 16.37. She even added 188 with the bat.

Sutherland, meanwhile, also had a memorable year as she not only played well but earned herself a massive ₹2 crore contract with the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the WPL 2024 auction.

A genuine fast bowling threat, Sutherland took 13 wickets in as many games, with the best figures of 3/6. She donned the finishing role for Australia and scored 263 runs at a batting average of 43.83 and a fantastic strike rate of 106.91.

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Bowlers: Nahida Akter, Lea Tahuhu and Thipatcha Putthawong

Lea Tahuhu during New Zealand v Pakistan - Women's ODI Game 1 [Getty Images]

Three frontline bowlers in Nahida Akter, Lea Tahuhu and Thipatcha Putthawong will complete the best XI of 2023.

Bangladesh women's team had a groundbreaking 2023 which saw them beat the likes of India, Pakistan and South Africa in WODIs. One of the major reasons for their resurgence was the potency of their bowling group. Nahida Akter stole the limelight as the 23-year-old performed exceedingly well.

In 11 innings, the left-arm spinner took 20 wickets (the second-most wickets after Ashleigh Gardner). Her bowling average also remained below 20 at 19.45.

Lea Tahuhu will spearhead the fast bowling department of this team, the role she has mastered for New Zealand. In the nine games Tahuhu played this year, she went wicketless just twice, taking 15 wickets at a great average of 20.86.

Last but not the least, Thipatcha Putthawong also features in the XI. Hailing from Thailand, Putthawong is still an unknown commodity to many. However, she made a name for herself after a successful 2023, where she accumulated 11 wickets at a superlative average of 10.27.

In the game against Zimbabwe in April, she wreaked havoc and took 6/6, which helped Thailand win the encounter by 78 runs. The ICC also recognized Putthawong as the Women's Player of the Month for May 2023.