India batter Suryakumar Yadav has been named the T20 Cricketer of the year 2023 by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack on Monday. The India batter made his India debut in March 2021, scoring a 28-ball fifty against England.
He had announced himself on the big stage with a huge six off Jofra Archer on his very first ball in international cricket in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in 2021.
So far, he has tallied 1675 runs in T20I cricket (from 48 matches) and 433 runs in ODIs (from 23 matches). His runs in the shortest format have come at a frighteningly quick pace and to make things worse for the opposition, they’ve been consistent. His strike rate stands at 175.76 and boasts an average of 46.52. In the 50-over format, his strike rate stands at 102.12 with an average of 24.05.
Between his debut and the end of 2022, no one hit more sixes than Suryakumar Yadav who struck 80 maximums – 18 more than the next best. He is also currently ranked as the no.1 batter in the ICC T20I batting rankings.
His maiden international century, against England, came in just 48 balls. A 49-ball blitz followed against New Zealand later in the year, and he began 2023 with another cracker, reaching three figures from 45 balls against Sri Lanka.
Harmanpreet Kaur Named One Of The Five Cricketers Of The Year 2023 By Wisden
India women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur became the first India Women’s cricketer to be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. She was chosen primarily for her ODI century against England at Canterbury. She scored 143 runs off 111 balls and led India to their first ODI series victory in England since 1999. She also captained the side to a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The Cricketer of the Year award is the oldest individual award in cricket and dates back to 1889.
Apart from Harmanpreet, the other players to receive the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award for 2023 are Ben Foakes, Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell, and Matthew Potts.