Dubai, Jan 5:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday revealed the second batch of shortlists in the ICC Awards 2023, highlighting the best individual performers in men’s and women’s ODI cricket from the past year.
A trio of Indian stars feature among the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year nominees. Shubman Gill spent a lengthy time atop the ICC Men’s ODI batter rankings in 2023, scoring an impressive 1,584 runs during the calendar year and picking up two ICC Men’s Player of the Month Awards along the way.
Competing alongside Gill for the ODI honours is fellow countryman Virat Kohli, fresh from his Player of the Tournament spell at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Kohli, who is a two-time Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy winner and three-time Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, scored six ODI centuries in the twelve-month period – more than any other player.
Strike bowler Mohammed Shami also features, having taken the third most ODI wickets during the year (43), and after producing an array of scintillating displays during CWC23 in which he was top wicket-taker. Completing the shortlist is New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, who also enjoyed a stellar year with the bat, recording 1204 runs and posting five centuries for the Blackcaps in 2023, an ICC media release said.
The ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year category is littered with top all-rounders, with Nat Sciver-Brunt in contention to claim back-to-back honours. Last year, the England star scooped the top two awards, and 2023 was equally prolific, as she hit three centuries in ODI outings and ended the year averaging 131 with the bat. She is joined on the shortlist by Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who scored freely atop the order, ending the year with a startling strike rate of 125.37 in ODI cricket.
Ashleigh Gardner won an unprecedented three ICC Women’s Player of the Month awards during the calendar year, including successive awards in June and July. As well as scoring valuable runs in the middle order in 50-over cricket, she took more wickets than anyone else (24).
The final contender is New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr, nominated for the second year running for her ODI exploits, ending 2023 as the top run-scorer in the format with 541 runs at 67.62, in addition to eight wickets with the ball.
Fans are now able to vote for their favourite ODI, T20I and Emerging players here, with the final categories unlocked as the last group of nominees are revealed by the ICC on Friday.
