Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi named ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year

England captain Joe Root, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and a Pakistani duo of Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan were among the nominees for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year Award on Friday for their excellent performances in formats.

The award will be presented to the best player in the men’s international boxing (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) in 2021. The winner, who will win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, will be announced on January 24th.

Root enjoyed a year that would go down in the pages of history books, averaging 58.37 runs in 1855 international matches over six centuries. However, he suffered disappointment as captain of England with the humiliation of Ash.

His year started in 228 with a marathon blow against Sri Lanka in Wales and he has just gone by force.

The feat against Sri Lanka continued in Chennai with a memorable blow, a stunning 218 against India in stifling heat, against a top-caliber turn-based attack.

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Root continued his excellent form at home on the return leg of the Test series at home, with a total of 564 races in four games over three centuries.

His performance also helped him reach the top of the ICC Test Player Ranking, where Marnus Labuschagn would eventually relocate.

Although the start did not turn into high scores, Root continued to be the best batsman in England in the first three Ashes Tests against Australia.

Compared to Root, Williamson’s 16 international 693 races were a modest average of 43.31 in a century, but the admirable Kiwi can’t be judged by the number of runs he has achieved alone.

It was also his effective leadership that helped the Black Caps scale the undiscovered heights of the year. No one is as important as the final of the ICC World Cup in Southampton against India.

Williamson also played a pivotal role in that game with a bat, scoring 49 essentials in the conditions that helped the seamstresses against a quality bowling unit in the first inning. He continued with a decisive 52 in the chase of the 139th run, taking him home in front of him before lifting the mace.

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His leadership was instrumental in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the Basque Country and Oman, with his tactics helping New Zealand reach the finals.

The Pakistani Baptist Rizwan had a wonderful year with 1915 runners in 44 internationals averaging 56.32 in two centuries. He also had 56 dismissals behind Wicket.

Rizwan ruled in 2021 over the shortest format of the game. With just 1326 races in 29 games, Rizwan averaged 73.66 and a strike rate of 134.89.

In addition to his feat with the bat, he was as strong as ever behind the poles, and was instrumental in competing for the finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup in Pakistan.

Rizwan also improved his game in Test cricket, averaging 455 runs in nine games, 45.50.

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Swing, sewing, fast paced and exciting yorktar – Shaheen Afridi gave an exhibition of all in 2021 with 36 international wickets, averaging 22.20. His best bowling figure was 6/51.

Pakistan’s fastball has been on fire throughout 2021, hitting some of the best batsmen in all three game formats. He had a special year to remember in the Tests and T20Is, he reached his peak at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the Basque Country, where he impressed everyone with his speed and skill.

He made seven wickets in six games in the race for the Pakistan final. He ruled the shortest format during the calendar year, making 23 wickets in 21 games by jumping his death bowling and improving limits.

He made 47 wickets in nine Tests, averaging a staggering 17.06.