Already the youngest batsman, male or female, to score 100 runs in a one-day international match, she scored 101 runs not out in her teens, and has scored 100 runs and 2 runs in T20 formats. He became the first record holder to double that amount. The first match of the recent series between Ireland and Zimbabwe. In fact, only Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling have achieved this feat for Ireland in all formats of the men’s game.
Hunter already maintains such companies, and there are many more. Not only was she unanimously named Electric Ireland Game Changer of the Month for January after she scored 220 runs, including one not out, in the first three matches of the T20 international in Harare. She has also been nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award. She is Australian captain Alyssa Healy and teammate Beth Mooney.
“It’s kind of the norm,” Hunter admits. “They are two of the best players in the world.” The winners will be announced on Monday, but just being in the top three shows the impact Hunter is having on the world.
The Australians would score runs against India and South Africa and probably sway the ICC umpires, but Hunter’s achievements went unnoticed, with the quote quoting Ireland’s “young wicketkeeper-batsman hitting a sensational 144.73.” It was a striking rate.” .
After a quiet ODI series, according to her own high standards (58 runs in three matches starting with last month’s tour of Zimbabwe), Hunter was really happy to get 50 runs in the first T20I.
“It wasn’t my best ODI series so it was just a relief to get some wins early on,” Amy recalls. “And I felt really good after that. But I wasn’t thinking about getting a hundred at all. It wasn’t until I was around 85 with a few overs left that I thought I might have a bit of a chance. It was.”
Hunter was 94th at the start of the final over, but lost her partner Rebecca Stokel on the first ball and was replaced by captain Laura Delaney.
“Laura specifically told me she wanted me to go for a strike, which I didn’t even think about, but she pushed it into the leg side (for singles) and if I backed up, she would go for a strike. “I said,” she said.
The singles followed suit, and Hunter hit a four and a single from the next two pitches to reach 99 points, but of course missed the strike.
However, Delaney scored a single, giving Hunter an opportunity to face the last ball and score his first T20I century. The next ball was on the down leg side and was “a shame I didn’t hit it”, but the umpire signaled for a wide and Hunter made no mistake to push the extra ball into midwicket for the century-making run.
“It felt great,” she said. Two days later, in the second game of the series, Hunter won his 50th cap and celebrated with yet another unbeaten innings of 77. The Irish led by two points and needed only a win in Game 3 to take an unassailable lead in the five-game series. .
“It was nice to get 100, but whether we can back it up is something we always talk about and (was on the field for every ball in the series) at the end of that inning. “By the third game approaching, I was feeling tired,” she admits. Hunter was eventually sacked, this time with 42 points, but clinched the series with a 60-point victory, winning the remaining two games in a row and becoming the first Irish team to win 5-0.
Hunter said he has only made two centuries at Harare Sports Club so far, “but I love playing there.” But the 28 months between the two games seemed like a lifetime to the Methodist University student.
“I developed a huge amount,” she says. “Going back to October 2021, I was still in the early stages of my career and didn’t know much about my game. That innings was a huge relief, but now I have more faith in my game.
“Earlier I used to try to bat everything, but now if Gabby (Lewis, opening batting partner) goes like a rocket, I’m happy to just anchor the innings. It’s always good to have days like that. And I’ve become much more comfortable with it.”
Amy is ready to score more goals for Ireland, but the next few months will be difficult.
“I’m studying A-level chemistry, biology and maths and they start at the end of May, just after I got back from the T20 World Cup qualifiers in the UAE. I think I missed the first practice, but… It’s not the end of the world.”
Then it was time to decide whether I wanted to sign a full-time contract with Cricket Ireland and become a professional cricketer, or continue my education.
“I’m probably going to continue my education and it would be very convenient for cricket if I could study at UCD in the south,” she quickly replied.
But once A-levels are over, it will be a big summer for Amy and Ireland, with visits from Sri Lanka and England. The latter will also be important for the three ODIs – ICC Women’s Championship and T20 International.
“We have only played England once in the World Cup so far, but this time it’s at home and that’s a big boost. We played against them, so there’s a lot that could go wrong, but the potential is definitely there.”
And Hunter’s goal reflects the Irish team’s upward trajectory.
“I would like to play in a few more World Cups. The World Cup is the pinnacle of cricket. And I would like to play franchise cricket and qualify for the next ODI Championship again.” she says. “It’s hugely important. The women’s game in Ireland has come a long way since we qualified, so I hope we can do that again.
“It’s a very young team and that’s good for the future and if we can keep challenging the teams right above us, like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who are eighth and ninth (in the rankings), I’m sure we can win on the day. “It’s even higher.” ”