DUBAI, Jan 23: Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and England’s Tammy Beaumont were on Sunday named the ICC men’s and women’s T20 Player of the Year respectively, following a prolific run in 2021.
Rizwan ruled the roost in 2021 when it came to the shortest format in the men’s game, while Beaumont finished the year as the third-highest run-getter in women’s T20Is.
Apart from his exploits with the bat, Rizwan was as solid as ever behind the stumps, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semi-finals during the T20 World Cup in the UAE, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.
Meanwhile, Beaumont was her side’s highest run-getter in the year in T20Is. In a low-scoring rubber against New Zealand away from home, Beaumont was the top scorer and was awarded the Player of the Series for scoring 102 runs in three matches.
She scored a brilliant fifty in a match against India, though it went in vain after a lower-order collapse. Beaumont continued to make merry against New Zealand, this time when they visited England for a limited-overs tour. She once again finished as the highest run-getter in the series with 113 runs.
Malan, Sheikh named
Emerging Cricketers
South African opener Janneman Malan and Pakistan pacer Fatima Sana were named as the Emerging Cricketers of the Year 2021 across men’s and women’s international cricket respectively.
Malan, named in ICC’s ODI eleven of the year, had a stunning run in 2021, making 715 runs in 17 international matches, including two centuries. It was the 50-over format where he showed his real potential.
In the women’s category, 20-year-old Fatima had an impressive 2021 as well.
She became an integral part of Pakistan’s ODI and T20I side owing to her all-round performance. (Agencies)
