The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday (January 5) revealed the nominees for the 2023 Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy Cricketer of the Year. The governing body selected as many as four players for the award, of which two are from Australia and two from India.
The ICC selected players from Australia and India due to the impact both teams had in the year 2023. Both India and Australia were finalists in the two major ICC events in 2023 in the final of the World Test Championship and the World Cup 2023.
From India, ICC chose Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja for the kind of impact they made in the year 2023. The batsman was nominated for his sensational outings in this year’s Tests and ODIs. He played a very important role for the team in both formats.
Virat Kohli was exceptional during the 2023 World Cup as he finished the tournament as the leading run-getter. The batsman scored 765 runs in the 11 innings he played and was key for his team to reach the final of the tournament.
During the 2023 World Cup, Virat Kohli also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the batsman with the most ODI centuries. The right-hander now has 50 tons to his name and was also the Player of the Tournament. In total in 2023, the batsman scored 2048 international runs and was the second highest scorer.
Ravindra Jadeja was nominated for type of impact with the ball. He finished 2023 as the leading wicket-taker and was a major reason for India’s success in all three formats. The all-rounder picked 66 wickets and also had a decent outing with the bat, scoring 613 runs across all formats.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins was one of the nominees. The fast bowler had a dream year in 2023 both as a bowler and as team captain. Under his leadership, Australia defeated India in the final of both the World Test Championship and the 2023 World Cup.
Pat Cummins also enjoyed great success as a pacer. The fast bowler picked 59 wickets in Tests and ODIs and was the main reason behind Australia’s success in two formats in 2023. It won’t be a surprise if he ends up winning the award.
Travis Head is the latest nominee for Cricketer of the Year. The left-hander carried out brutal knocks in the final of the World Test Championship and the 2023 World Cup against India. The batsman scored excellent centuries in both games and amassed 1700 runs across all formats during the year.
Award winners will be revealed at the end of January. It remains to be seen who will take the prize. If Virat Kohli wins the award, it will be the third time she has won it in her career.
ICC Awards 2023 – Shortlists
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year
Pat Cummins (Australia), Travis Head (Australia), Ravindra Jadeja (India), Virat Kohli (India)
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Ashleigh Gardner (Australia), Beth Mooney (Australia), Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)
ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year
R Ashwin (India), Travis Head (Australia), Usman Khawaja (Australia), Joe Root (England)
ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year
Shubman Gill (India), Virat Kohli (India), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand), Mohammed Shami (India)
ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Ashleigh Gardner (Australia), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)
ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year
Mark Chapman (New Zealand), Alpesh Ramjani (Uganda), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Suryakumar Yadav (India)
ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Ellyse Perry (Australia)
ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year
Gerald Coetzee (South Africa), Yashasvi Jaiswal (India), Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka), Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year
Marufa Akter (Bangladesh), Lauren Bell (England), Darcey Carter (Scotland), Phoebe Litchfield (Australia)