Jasprit Bumrah, Devon Conway, Ollie Robinson, Rohit Sharma and Dane van Niekerk have been named Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 2022 edition of the Wisden Almanack.
Joe Root has been named Leading Cricketer in the World, while South Africa’s Lizelle Lee has been awarded the title of Leading Woman Cricketer in the World. Mohammad Rizwan has earned the gong of Leading T20 Cricketer in the World.
Bumrah was a star performer for India in their visit to England last summer. Contributing with both bat and ball in India’s historic win at Lord’s, he also produced a match-winning spell of bowling at The Oval. The latter gave India a 2-1 lead in the series that is to be concluded in July this year.
Conway made history by becoming the first person to score a double hundred on Test debut in England. The 29-year-old then followed up this innings with an 80 at Edgbaston that helped set up New Zealand’s first series victory in England in 22 years.
Robinson was England’s leading Test wicket taker in the summer of 2021, claiming 28 wickets at an average of 19.60. His summer was not without controversy however, with a series of offensive tweets emerging at the same time as he was making his Test bow at Lord’s, an issue which he addresses in the Almanack.
Rohit was rewarded for his exceptional summer at the top of the order for India, scoring 368 runs in four Tests at an average of 52.57. The highlight came at The Oval, where he scored a match defining 127, his first Test century away from home.
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Van Niekerk was a leading player in The Hundred, earning the award of Most Valuable Player after captaining her side the Oval Invincibles to victory in the women’s competition. Van Niekerk was also the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 259 runs at 43, and took eight wickets with the ball at an average of 20.
Root was named Leading Cricketer of the Year after an historic 12 months in which he scored 1,708 Test runs in a calendar year, the third most in history.
Lee was named Leading Woman Cricketer in the world after a dominant 2021, averaging 90.28 with the bat in ODI cricket, including a spectacular series against India in which she scored 288 runs in four innings.
Rizwan’s T20 recognition came after a record breaking 2021 in which he scored 1,329 runs at 72.88 in 27 T20I’s that included a century and 11 fifties. By passing 1,000 runs in a calendar year, Rizwan became the first cricketer in the international game to achieve the feat.
The 2022 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack is out now
