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David Gray’s photograph of Jos Buttler leaping over Steve Smith in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match wins the Wisden Photograph of the Year competition.
- Gray wins the £1,000 top prize; two runners-up each win £400.
- The winners feature in the 2022 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
- The 2021 competition attracted more than 300 entries from around the world.
Australian David Gray’s image of Jos Buttler leaping high over the head of a cowering Steve Smith during his match-winning innings of 71 not out in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match between England and Australia at Dubai on October 30, 2021, was judged the winner. The judges felt this photo perfectly captured the athleticism, excitement and pace of T20 cricket.
Gray, who was a keen schoolboy cricketer, has been a freelance photographer for the past three years. He previously worked for Reuters for 24 years and was commissioned by the Australia Associated Press when he captured his award-winning image. He is the fifth Australian winner of the Wisden Photograph of the Year competition in the 12 years since it started, and he follows former Australian Test captain Steve Waugh who won in 2020.
English professional and club cricket complete the line-up of winners with the two runners-up:
Nathan Kirk’s photo shows Finn Allen of Birmingham Phoenix Men dropping Matthew Carter of Trent Rockets Men during The Hundred match at Trent Bridge on August 13, 2021.
Chris Strickland’s image shows a scene every club cricketer will be familiar with, as four players from Wooler Cricket Club in Northumberland search for a lost ball in a silage field during a game against Berwick in the Northumberland league at Wooler on June 5, 2021.
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The winning entries feature in the 2022 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. Seven shortlisted entries will appear alongside the three winners in a display at the Kia Oval in London for a period of 12 months.
Lawrence Booth, Editor of Wisden, said: “The standard of entries was as high as ever, with the usual engaging mixture of the aesthetic and the unexpected, international cricket and the club game. We’re thrilled that the Wisden Photograph of the Year competition remains a sought-after prize among cricket photographers all over the world.”
Chris Smith, former chief sports photographer of The Sunday Times, chaired the judging panel. Other judges were: acclaimed cricket photographer Patrick Eagar; former art director of The Cricketer Nigel Davies, and former Marylebone Cricket Club Filming and Photography Manager Clare Adams.
Notes to editors:
The winning image, the two runners-up, and seven shortlisted images are all available for hi-res download from:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/k6biDSGRLp3gFGHQ7
They can be reproduced for editorial purposes subject to being clearly captioned as the winning image (or runner-up, as applicable) in the Wisden Cricket Photograph of the Year 2021 competition.
Winner: David Gray (Freelance for Australia Associated Press)
[caption id=”attachment_247636″ align=”aligncenter” width=”757″] Winner of the Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021: David Gray[/caption]
England’s Jos Buttler jumps over Australia’s Steve Smith during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Australia at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 30, 2021
Runner-up: Nathan Stirk (Freelance for Getty Images, UK)
[caption id=”attachment_247638″ align=”aligncenter” width=”757″] Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021 Runner-up: Nathan Stirk[/caption]
Finn Allen of Birmingham Phoenix Men drops a catch off the batting of Matthew Carter of Trent Rockets Men during The Hundred match Trent Bridge.
Nottingham, UK, August 13, 2021
Runner-up: Chris Strickland (Freelance UK)
[caption id=”attachment_247639″ align=”aligncenter” width=”757″] Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021 Runner-up: Chris Strickland[/caption]
Players from Wooler Cricket Club look for a lost ball in a silage field after being hit for six by opponents Berwick in the Northumberland league.
Wooler, Northumberland, UK, June 5, 2021
Shortlisted: Gareth Copley (Getty Images, UK)
[caption id=”attachment_247641″ align=”aligncenter” width=”757″] Wisden Photo of the Year 2021 Shortlisted: Gareth Copley[/caption]
Jasprit Bumrah of India warms up ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match between India and Afghanistan at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November 3, 2021
Shortlisted: Gareth Copley (Getty Images, UK)
[caption id=”attachment_247642″ align=”aligncenter” width=”484″] Wisden Photo of the Year 2021 Shortlisted: Gareth Copley[/caption]
England captain Joe Root shows his frustration as he leaves the field after being dismissed by Shardul Thakur during day five of the fourth LV= Insurance Test Match between England and India at The Kia Oval.
London, UK, September 6, 2021
Shortlisted: Alex Davidson (Getty Images, UK)
[caption id=”attachment_247643″ align=”aligncenter” width=”758″] Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021 Shortlisted: Alex Davidson[/caption]
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson attempts to run out Ajinkya Rahane of India during day two of the ICC World Test Championship Final at the Ageas Bowl in Hampshire.
Southampton, UK, June 19, 2021
Shortlisted: Faisal Khan (Freelance /Anadolu Agency, India)
[caption id=”attachment_247645″ align=”aligncenter” width=”757″] Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021 Shortlisted: Faisal Khan[/caption]
Boys play cricket on a cold autumn day in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal village.
Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, November 24, 2021
Shortlisted: Syed Mahabubul Kader (Freelance)
[caption id=”attachment_247646″ align=”aligncenter” width=”757″] Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021 Shortlisted: Syed Mahabubul Kader[/caption]
Wheelchair cricket being played to celebrate the World Disability Day.
Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 3, 2021
Shortlisted: Abdul Momin (Freelance, Bangladesh)
[caption id=”attachment_247647″ align=”aligncenter” width=”758″] Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021 Shortlisted: Abdul Momin[/caption]
Children from a village in Gobindaganj play cricket on a small patch of farmland surrounded by mustard flowers.
Gobindaganj, Bangladesh, December 1, 2021
Shortlisted: Stu Forster (Getty Images, UK)
[caption id=”attachment_247649″ align=”aligncenter” width=”489″] Wisden Photo of the Year Competition 2021 Shortlisted: Stu Forster[/caption]
Alice Capsey of the Invincibles bowling during The Hundred match between Northern Superchargers Women and Oval Invincibles Women at the Emerald Headingley Stadium.
Leeds, UK, July 31, 2021