ICC Awards 2023: Suryakumar Yadav Among Nominees For ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer Of The Year 2023. With three competitors challenging him, Suryakumar Yadav aims to secure the Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year title for the second consecutive year. Suryakumar Yadav, the top-ranked T20I batter globally, has been selected as a nominee for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2023 award. His competitors for the accolade include Sikandar Raza from Zimbabwe, Alpesh Ramjani from Uganda, and Mark Chapman from New Zealand.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav, aiming to replicate his 2022 success, successfully avoided the second-year syndrome, sustaining his supremacy in T20 cricket. Despite a slow start with just 7 runs in his initial innings against Sri Lanka, Yadav regained momentum, displaying his skill with scores of 51 (36) and an unbeaten 112* (51) in the following matches.
Throughout the year, Suryakumar Yadav consistently scored in the 20s to 40s, showing he could be relied upon. His standout moment was an impressive innings of 83 (44) against the West Indies in Providence, and he wrapped up the series in Florida with a strong knock of 61 (45). Yadav continued his good form with notable half-centuries against Australia (80 off 42 balls) and South Africa (56 from 36 balls). The highlight was a stunning century—100 runs off just 56 balls against South Africa in Johannesburg—sealing the final T20I of the year. Despite the added responsibility of captaincy, Yadav excelled in leading a young side towards the end of the year.
Sikandar Raza
Sikandar Raza showcased his consistent batting skills in T20Is throughout the year, delivering commendable performances. He proved his mettle by scoring at least 20 runs in nine out of his 11 innings. The year he started strong with two impressive fifties—82* (35) and 52 (36) against Namibia—highlighting his dominance in away games. Noteworthy is Raza’s display of bowling prowess in the same series, where he took figures of 4/24 (4) in the final match.
Despite Zimbabwe facing challenges in the Africa Qualifier, Raza shone through with exceptional performances. Despite a defeat against Uganda, he posted a respectable 48 (39) and scored half-centuries in his other three innings, with a standout performance of 82 runs (48). Additionally, Raza showcased his all-around capabilities by consistently taking multiple wickets in nearly all Africa Qualifier matches. A notable bowling highlight occurred in the bilateral series against Ireland towards the end of the year, where he recorded figures of 3/28 (4), highlighting his impact beyond just his batting skills.
Alpesh Ramjani
Ugandan cricket had a fantastic year in 2023, and a big contributor to their success was Ramjani. He excelled both as a bowler and a valuable batsman. With his left-arm orthodox spin, Ramjani was a nightmare for opposing batters, taking 55 wickets in 30 matches – the highest among men’s players in the T20 format throughout the year. However, he made an impact every 11 balls for Uganda and had only four instances where he didn’t claim a wicket throughout the year.
Ramjani showcased his batting prowess, playing in various positions throughout the year. His standout innings of 40 runs from 26 balls against Zimbabwe in the Qualifier proved to be crucial, arguably being the most significant moment for him and Uganda in securing a surprise victory on their journey to T20 World Cup Qualification.
Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman showcased a swashbuckling performance with the bat, striking at an impressive rate of 145.54. His admirable average of 50.54 came while predominantly batting at No.4 and No.5 in the order. After a slow start with three barren matches at the beginning of the year, Chapman found his form during New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan.
The left-hander scored 290 runs in five matches and earned the Player of the Series award in the shared 2-2 series. He sealed the final match with an unbeaten hundred. Chapman continued his good form with two half-centuries against the UAE in Dubai and made headlines with a quick 40* from just 25 balls during a successful chase against England in Nottingham later in the year.
