The ICC announced Player of the Year nominees for Women’s ODIs and Men’s T20Is. Lizelle Lee, Tammy Beaumont, Hayley Matthews and Fatima Sana have been shortlisted among women, while Mohammad Rizwan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jos Buttler and Mitchell Marsh have been shortlisted among men.
With 632 runs in 11 matches at an average of 90.28, Lee finished as the highest ODI run-scorer in women’s cricket. Beaumont was joint second, with 503 in 11 matches at 62.87, alongside Mithali Raj. Matthews scored 380 at 29.23, and also bagged 18 wickets at 22.44 at an economy rate of 3.33. Sana, the remaining nominee, took 20 wickets at 24.90.
Rizwan has had an outstanding 2021, in T20s, both international and otherwise. He aggregated 1326 at 73.66 at 135. During his run, he became the first man to score 1,000 T20I runs as well as 2,000 T20 runs in a calendar year.
Hasaranga claimed 36 wickets at 11.63, and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the T20 World Cup. Marsh scored 627 runs and took eight wickets. His 50-ball 77 not out in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand helped Australia win their maiden title. Buttler, meanwhile, scored 589 runs at 143.
Earlier, the ICC shortlisted R. Ashwin, Kyle Jamieson, Joe Root and Dimuth Karunaratne for the Men’s Test Player of the Year.