NEW DELHI: India's
Suryakumar Yadav
has been nominated for the ICC Men's T20 Cricketer of the Year 2023. The 33-year-old, who previously secured this accolade in 2022, continued to make a mark in the shortest format during 2023.
Suryakumar amassed an impressive total of 733 runs from 17 innings, maintaining an average of 48.86 and a striking rate of 155.95.
His consistent and impactful performances have earned him recognition as one of the standout T20 cricketers of the year.
It's noteworthy that young Indian opening batter
Yashasvi Jaiswal
has been recognized as one of the four nominees for the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2023.
This nomination acknowledges Jaiswal's promising performances and potential as a rising star in the cricketing world. His inclusion among the nominees reflects his impact and contributions in the emerging cricketer category during the specified year.
Jaiswal, the 22-year-old Indian opening batter, has put up an impressive performance in the year. He scored 283 Test runs with an average of 70.75. In T20 Internationals (T20Is), he made 430 runs at an average of 33.07 and an outstanding strike rate of 159.25 throughout the year.
Jaiswal's notable contributions have earned him a nomination for the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2023.
He faces competition in this category from other talented emerging players, including Rachin Ravindra from New Zealand,
Gerald Coetzee
from South Africa, and Dilshan Madushanka from Sri Lanka. The nomination recognizes Jaiswal's growth and impact in international cricket as a young and promising talent.
Despite a modest start with just 7 runs in his first innings of 2023 against Sri Lanka, Suryakumar swiftly rebounded, showcasing his prolific form throughout the year. In the subsequent two matches, he delivered outstanding performances, scoring 51 runs off 36 balls in one match and an impressive unbeaten 112 off 51 balls in the next.
During his remarkable innings of 112, Suryakumar displayed his wide array of shots, featuring inside-out drives and skillful play behind the wicket.
Notably, this innings included nine sixes and seven fours, illustrating his ability to score boundaries consistently, averaging almost one boundary every three deliveries. Such displays underscore Suryakumar's versatility and impact as a dynamic T20 batsman.
His first boundary came off just the fourth ball of his innings, and it took just 45 balls to reach three figures. The effort was the second-fastest hundred for India in men's T20s behind
Rohit Sharma
's 35-ball effort against the same opponent in 2017, and India were clear 91-run winners.
Consistent scoring in 20s to 40s continued, before an innings of 83 (44 balls) against the West Indies in Providence proved his class. He ended the series against the West Indies with a knock of 61 (45 balls) in Florida.
Suryakumar flourished despite the burden of captaincy, taking the reins of a young Indian side towards the end of the year.
He made half-centuries against Australia (80 off 42 balls) and South Africa (56 from 36 balls), before posting an even 100 against the Proteas off just 56 balls in their final T20 of the year in Johannesburg.
The other three nominees are Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe (11 innings, 515 runs at 51.50, strike rate 150.14; 17 wickets at 14.88, economy 6.57), Alpesh Ramjani of Uganda (55 wickets at 8.98, economy 4.77) and Mark Chapman of New Zealand (17 innings, 556 runs at 50.54, strike rate 145.54).
(With PTI inputs)
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