India great Virat Kohli, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Australia captain Pat Cummins and star batter Travis Head are the four players nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2023 award by the ICC. The four players mentioned have had a stunning last year, with everyone unlocking several massive milestones.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!2023 – Kohli’s year with the bat
Starting with the former India captain and batting great, Virat Kohli, who reached a milestone, not many thought would ever be touched – becoming the first batter to reach 50 ODI hundreds (the moment came during the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand), surpassing his idol Sachin Tendulkar.
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Having scored 2048 runs in 35 matches (ODIs and Tests), Virat had a stupendous 2023.
Although India failed to win the home World Cup, Kohli topped the batting chart with 765 runs – most by any batter in a single World Cup edition, including three centuries.
If Kohli wins this award, he will become the only cricketer ever to win it three times.
Jadeja – a silver lining
Ravindra Jadeja enjoyed his 2023, scoring 613 runs and picking 66 wickets across all formats in 35 outings. The left-handed India all-rounder returned with 22 scalps in the Border-Gavaskar series before playing a handy knock (48) with the bat in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at the Oval.
Jadeja picked 31 wickets in the white-ball formats the past year, with 16 out of them coming in the World Cup 2023, including his career-best of five for 33 against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Star Aussie duo makes the cut
Alongside Kohli and Jadeja, two players fighting for his coveted prize are the Australian duo of Captain Pat Cummins and batter Travis Head.
Pat Cummins was deservingly the best player last year, winning several accolades both as a captain and a player. After losing the Border-Gavaskar series, Cummins first guided Australia to its maiden WTC trophy (against India), retained the Ashes (2-2) and finally helped the Oz lift their record-sixth World Cup title in India.
As a player, Cummins played a crucial role in helping Australia taste success on every occasion. In 2023, the lanky seamer scored 422 runs and picked 59 wickets across formats in 24 matches.
Travis Head is another name that tops the chart for the players who had a successful 2023. With 1698 runs in 31 matches, Head was Australia’s most impactful batter the past year.
Besides his few notable outings, Head’s 163 against India in the WTC Final and his match-winning 137 in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad against the same team stood out as performances of the year.
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