Rachin Ravindra scores top ICC award

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has followed up his historic 2023 by being named the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year.

Ravindra was a standout performer in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and played an important role in his team reaching the semifinals once again.

His aggregate of 578 runs was the most by anyone playing in their first World Cup and he also took six wickets with his left-arm spin bowling.

The left-hander accumulated 820 runs from 25 ODIs during the year at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 108.03 with three centuries and three fifties. He finished with 18 wickets.

Ravindra also scored 91 runs and took five wickets in 12 T20Is during the year, edging out India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, and fast bowlers Dilshan Madhushanka of Sri Lanka and Gerald Coetzee of South Africa.

Ravindra said it was a special feeling to be recognised by the ICC.

"Reflecting back, it has been a pretty whirlwind last year or so. Having the opportunity to play so much cricket in so many different environments has been really special. Congratulations to all the fellow nominees, all of whom had an incredible year and performed brilliantly."

India's explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav won his second successive ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award, with West Indies' dynamic all-round captain Hayley Matthews claiming the ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year as the first set of individual winners of the ICC Awards 2023 were announced on Wednesday.

Seven more awardees will be announced on Thursday based on their international performances and overall achievements during the last calendar year.

All 13 award winners were crowned following a voting period which combined votes from the ICC Voting Academy and global fans, who flocked to icc-cricket.com to select their favourite performers from a blockbuster year of international cricket.

Yadav, who maintained his position atop the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings throughout the year, ended 2023 as the leading runscorer in the format with 733 from 18 matches at a strike rate of 155.95, and sees him win the award for the second year running.

Among a host of highlights during the calendar year, the 33-year-old batter from Mumbai smashed a belligerent 112 not out off 51 balls against Sri Lanka in Rajkot early in 2023 and finished with 100 off 56 deliveries against South Africa in Johannesburg while also notching five half-centuries.

Women's T20I Player of the Year Matthews topped the runscoring charts for the year, registering 700 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 132.32.

She celebrated scores of 99 not out, 132 and 79 while also taking five wickets with her off spin bowling in a T20I series in Australia that saw her win Player of the Match awards in all three T20Is against the world champions.