Pat Cummins Crowned 2023 Cricketer of the Year, Virat Kohli Takes ODI Player of the Year

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared the recipients of its 2023 annual awards, with Australian captain Pat Cummins clinching the prestigious Cricketer of the Year award. Cummins led Australia to victory in both the ICC ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship (WTC), outperforming his Australian teammate Travis Head and India’s Virat Kohli in the process. Although Kohli didn’t win the top award, he did earn the ICC ODI Player of the Year title for his exceptional performance, which was instrumental in India securing second place in the World Cup, hosted in India.

Cummins’ achievement in 2023 earned him the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer. His year was highlighted by wins in the WTC and ODI World Cup, as well as a significant role in retaining the Ashes against a challenging England team. Notably, he helped Australia secure a 2-2 draw in England during the Ashes series. Throughout the year, Cummins played 24 matches, taking 59 wickets and scoring 422 runs, including a crucial contribution in Australia’s victory against England in the Birmingham Test and a 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in the Boxing Day Test.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli demonstrated why he is considered one of the greatest players of his era, amassing 763 runs in 11 matches at the ODI World Cup. His performance not only helped India reach the final but also earned him the Player of the Tournament accolade. Despite the home ground advantage, Kohli couldn’t lead India to the title. He achieved nine fifty-plus scores during the World Cup, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most ODI centuries.

In the T20 format, India’s Suryakumar Yadav was named the ICC T20 Player of the Year following another impressive year with the bat. The Mumbai Indians player retained the title for the second year in a row after his notable performance in 2022, which saw India reach the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.