England captain Joe Root, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and the Pakistan duo of Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan have been on Friday short-listed for the ICC Males’s Cricketer of the Yr Award for his or her stellar performances throughout codecs.
The award might be given to the most effective total performer in males’s worldwide cricket (Checks, ODIs and T20Is) throughout 2021. The winner, who will elevate the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, might be introduced on January 24.
Root loved a 12 months that may go down within the pages of the historical past books, scoring 1855 runs in 18 worldwide matches at a mean of 58.37 with six centuries. Nevertheless, he endured disappointment as captain with England struggling an Ashes humiliation.
His 12 months started with a marathon knock in 228 in opposition to Sri Lanka in Galle and he has solely gone from energy to energy.
He adopted up his exploits in opposition to Sri Lanka with a memorable knock in Chennai, a superb 218 in opposition to India within the sweltering warmth in opposition to a spin assault of the very best calibre.
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Root continued his elegant kind in opposition to India within the return leg of the Take a look at sequence at dwelling, aggregating 564 runs in 4 matches with three centuries to his title.
His efficiency additionally helped him attain the summit of the ICC Take a look at Participant Rankings for batting, the place he was ultimately displaced by Marnus Labuschagne.
Regardless of failing to transform his begins into huge scores, Root continued being England’s finest batter in opposition to Australia within the first three Ashes Checks.
As in comparison with Root, Williamson’s 693 runs in 16 internationals at a mean of 43.31 with one century was a modest whole however the admirable Kiwi can’t solely be judged on the premise of the runs he scored.
It was additionally his influential management that helped the Black Caps scale unchartered heights in the course of the 12 months. None extra so essential than the ICC World Take a look at Championship ultimate victory in opposition to India in Southampton.
Williamson performed an important position in that recreation with the bat as nicely, scoring an important 49 within the first innings in opposition to a top quality bowling unit in circumstances aiding the seamers. He adopted it up with an important 52 not out within the run chase of 139, taking his facet dwelling earlier than lifting the mace.
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His management was very important in the course of the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE and Oman, together with his tactical nous serving to New Zealand attain the ultimate.
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Rizwan had a surprising 12 months with 1915 runs in 44 internationals at a mean of 56.32 with two centuries. He additionally had 56 dismissals behind the wickets.
Rizwan dominated the roost in 2021 when it got here to the shortest format of the sport. Aggregating a staggering 1326 runs in solely 29 matches, Rizwan struck at a mean of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89.
Other than his exploits with the bat, he was as stable as ever behind the stumps, enjoying a key position in Pakistan’s run to the semifinals in the course of the T20 World Cup 2021.
Rizwan additionally upped his recreation in Take a look at cricket, scoring 455 runs in 9 matches at a mean of 45.50.
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Swing, seam, sheer tempo and scorching yorkers — Shaheen Afridi gave an exhibition of all of it in 2021 with 78 wickets in 36 internationals at a mean of twenty-two.20. He had his finest bowling figures of 6/51.
The tall Pakistani quick bowler was on hearth all through 2021, knocking a number of the finest batters over throughout all three codecs of the sport. He particularly had a 12 months to recollect in Checks and T20Is, reaching his absolute peak in the course of the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE the place he impressed every person together with his sheer velocity and expertise.
He scalped seven wickets in six matches in the course of the event in Pakistan’s run to the semifinal. He dominated the shortest format all through the calendar 12 months, scalping 23 wickets in 21 matches together with his demise bowling enhancing by leaps and bounds.
He scalped 47 wickets in 9 Checks at a staggering common of 17.06.