Andrea-Mae Zepeda

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Andrea-Mae Zepeda

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|10|24|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| female = true

| fullname = Andrea-Mae Zepeda

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm medium

| role = All-rounder

| country = Austria

| international = true

| internationalspan = 2019–present

| club1 = Austria Cricket Club, Vienna

| year1 =

| T20Idebutdate = 31 July

| T20Idebutyear = 2019

| T20Idebutagainst = Norway

| T20Icap = 11

| lastT20Idate = 15 September

| lastT20Iyear = 2024

| lastT20Iagainst = Denmark

| T20Ishirt =

| columns = 1

| column1 = WT20I

| matches1 = 36

| runs1 = 1028

| bat avg1 = 34.26

| 100s/50s1 = 1/4

| top score1 = 101

| deliveries1 = 624

| wickets1 = 19

| bowl avg1 = 26.42

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 4/16

| catches/stumpings1 = 10/–

| date = 17 September

| year = 2024

| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/andrea-mae-zepeda-1196284 Cricinfo

}}

Andrea-Mae Zepeda (born 24 October 1995) is an Austrian cricketer and medical doctor. She plays for her national cricket team as an all-rounder. In 2019, she captained the team in its first ever Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I). In 2021, she became the first player to score a century for Austria in a WT20I. In January 2022, Zepeda was named as the ICC Women's Associate Cricketer of the Year by the International Cricket Council (ICC).{{cite web|url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/2459925 |title=Zeeshan Maqsood (Oman) and Andrea-Mae Zepeda (Austria) are ICC Associate Cricketers of the Year 2021 |work=International Cricket Council |date=23 January 2022 |access-date=23 January 2022}}

Early life and career

Zepeda recalls that when she was 7 years old, she had a cricket lesson at school. However, she did not become involved in cricket until two years later, when her younger brother started playing the game. The two of them would play together. In her home city, there was only one cricket pitch, and during her youth, very few girls played cricket. Zepeda therefore usually trained and played cricket with boys.{{cite web |last1=Yadav |first1=Vishal |title=Interview with Andrea-Mae Zepeda: Captain of Austria Women's National Cricket Team |url=https://femalecricket.com/interviews/4255-interview-with-andrea-mae-zepada-captain-of-austria-womens-national-cricket-team.html |website=Female Cricket |access-date=7 November 2021 |date=27 August 2019}}

After having played cricket for a while, Zepeda realised that she wanted to play in a women's team. In 2015, she took the field for a Continental Women's XI in two matches against a Netherlands Invitation XI played in Utrecht. The Continental XI was made up of players from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Gibraltar and Hungary.{{cite book |last1=Lyall |first1=Rod |editor1-last=Booth |editor1-first=Lawrence |title=The Shorter Wisden 2016: The Best Writing from Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2016 |date=2016 |publisher=John Wisden & Co |location=London |isbn=9781472935229 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ggDYCwAAQBAJ&dq=Continental+Women%27s+XI+cricket&pg=PT529 |access-date=7 November 2021 |chapter=Women's Cricket in Europe: Sister Act}}{{cite web |last1=Lyall |first1=Rod |title=The achievement of an idiot with an idea |url=https://www.cricketeurope.com/DATABASE/ARTICLES2015/articles/000043/004339.shtml |website=www.cricketeurope.com |access-date=7 November 2021 |date=27 July 2015 |archive-date=7 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107141005/https://www.cricketeurope.com/DATABASE/ARTICLES2015/articles/000043/004339.shtml |url-status=dead }} The following year, 2016, Zepeda was involved in the setting up of women's cricket in Austria.

Domestic career

At the domestic level, Zepeda plays for Austria Cricket Club of Vienna.{{cite web |title=ACA Officials |url=http://www.austriacricket.at/index.php/aca-ocv/aca-officials |website=www.austriacricket.at |access-date=7 November 2021}}

International career

On 31 July 2019, Zepeda made her WT20I debut for, and also captained, Austria in the team's first ever WT20I, a match against Norway at the Parc du Grand Blottereau, Nantes, France. Norway won that match, which was part of a T20I quadrangular series also involving France and Jersey.{{cite news |title=Full Scorecard of Norway Women vs Austria Wmn 2nd Match 2019 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/wt20-quad-france-2019-1193663/austria-women-vs-norway-women-2nd-match-1193700/full-scorecard |access-date=8 November 2021 |work=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}} However, Austria then defeated Jersey by 3 runs, with Zepeda taking 3/18 in 4 overs,{{cite news |title=Full Scorecard of Austria Wmn vs Jersey Women 4th Match 2019 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/wt20-quad-france-2019-1193663/austria-women-vs-jersey-women-4th-match-1193702/full-scorecard |access-date=8 November 2021 |work=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}} and also later won a second match against Norway, with Zepeda recording the top score, of 43* in 43 balls.{{cite news |title=Full Scorecard of Norway Women vs Austria Wmn 9th Match 2019 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/wt20-quad-france-2019-1193663/austria-women-vs-norway-women-9th-match-1193707/full-scorecard |access-date=8 November 2021 |work=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}} Overall, Austria finished third in the series, and Zepeda scored the most runs, with 125.{{cite news |title=All-round records {{!}} Women's Twenty20 Internationals {{!}} Cricinfo Statsguru {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/1196284.html?class=10;template=results;type=allround;view=match |access-date=7 November 2021 |work=ESPNcricinfo}}{{cite web |title=France taste glory in historic quadrangular series |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1301598 |website=International Cricket Council |access-date=8 November 2021 |date=15 August 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Yadav |first1=Vishal |title=Exclusive Report: Austrian Women's National Team leaps into the professional arena of cricket |url=https://femalecricket.com/womens-world-cricket/4412-exclusive-report-austrian-womens-national-team-leaps-into-the-professional-arena-of-cricket.html |website=Female Cricket |access-date=8 November 2021 |date=29 August 2019}}

In August 2020, Zepeda captained Austria in a five match bilateral series between Austria and Germany, at the Seebarn Cricket Ground near Vienna. Although she top scored for Austria in the first and fourth matches of the series, with 35* and 25, respectively, Germany comfortably won the series 5–0.{{Cite web|title=Record-breaking Germany complete whitewash of Austria|url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1753846|access-date=14 February 2021|website=International Cricket Council}}

Twelve months later, in August 2021, Austria played another five match bilateral series, against Italy at the Roma Cricket Club, Spinaceto. This time, Austria was captained by Gandhali Bapat, who had not previously played for the team. In the first match of that series, Zepeda top scored for Austria with 33 runs in 60 balls, but Italy, playing in its first ever WT20I, won the match by 8 wickets. Austria then took the series by winning the next three matches in a row, with Zepeda achieving a top score of 43 in 44 balls in the third match. Austria also emerged as 3–2 series victors when Italy won the fifth match.{{cite web |author1=Team Female Cricket |title=All you need to know about Austria Women's tour of Italy 2021 {{!}} Squad {{!}} Schedule |url=https://femalecricket.com/austria-womens-tour-of-italy-2021/19041-all-you-need-to-know-about-austria-womens-tour-of-italy-2021-squad-schedule.html |website=Female Cricket |access-date=8 November 2021 |date=9 August 2021}}{{cite web |author1=Emerging Cricket |title=Global Game: Action-packed Associate cricket week |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2220961 |website=International Cricket Council |access-date=8 November 2021 |date=16 August 2021}}{{cite web |title=Andrea-Mae Zepeda |url=https://www.talkinaboutwomenscricket.com/teams/austria/andrea-mae-zepeda/ |website=Talkin' About Women's Cricket |access-date=8 November 2021}}

The following month, Austria, again captained by Bapat, hosted Belgium for a shorter bilateral series, of three matches, at Seebarn Cricket Ground. In the first match of the series, which was also Belgium's first ever WT20I, Zepeda scored 101 in 63 balls to become the first player to score a century for Austria in a WT20I.{{cite web |author1=Emerging Cricket |title=Global Game: Belgium Women make maiden T20I appearance |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2272333 |website=International Cricket Council |access-date=8 November 2021 |date=27 September 2021}} She was also named player of the match, which Austria won by 118 runs.{{cite news |title=Full Scorecard of Austria Wmn vs Belgium Wmn 1st T20I 2021 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/belgium-women-in-austria-2021-1279389/austria-women-vs-belgium-women-1st-t20i-1279393/full-scorecard |access-date=8 November 2021 |work=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}} In the second and third matches, Austria won by 112 and 74 runs, respectively, and Zepeda again top scored, with 65 and 84*, respectively. She was also named as player of the match in both matches, and thus achieved a clean sweep of the player of the match awards for the series.{{cite news |title=Full Scorecard of Austria Wmn vs Belgium Wmn 2nd T20I 2021 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/belgium-women-in-austria-2021-1279389/austria-women-vs-belgium-women-2nd-t20i-1279394/full-scorecard |access-date=8 November 2021 |work=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Full Scorecard of Austria Wmn vs Belgium Wmn 3rd T20I 2021 - Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/belgium-women-in-austria-2021-1279389/austria-women-vs-belgium-women-3rd-t20i-1279395/full-scorecard |access-date=8 November 2021 |work=ESPNcricinfo |language=en}}

In May 2022, Zepeda played in the privately run 2022 FairBreak Invitational T20 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She was allocated to the Tornadoes team.{{Cite web |last=Cricket |first=Team Female |date=2022-04-04 |title=Stafanie Taylor to lead Tornadoes in FairBreak Invitational 2022 Tournament |url=https://femalecricket.com/women-cricket-news/23448-stafanie-taylor-to-lead-tornadoes-in-fairbreak-invitational-2022-tournament.html |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=Female Cricket |language=en-US}}