Sydney Thunder opening batter Chamari Athapaththu has been named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year and CA supplementary marquee player Pat Cummins, as ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) have concluded announcements of ICC Awards 2023 winners by revealing that Australia captain Pat Cummins has won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu wins her maiden ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award.
Athapaththu is the first female cricketer from Sri Lanka to win an ICC Award. A landmark year has not only seen her clinch the individual award, but also be named captain of both the ICC Women’s ODI and T20I Teams of the Year, announced earlier in the week.
The all-rounder scored 415 runs in eight matches during 2023, at an average of 69.16 and a strike-rate of 125.37. Among a year of highlights, her unbeaten knocks of 108 and 140 helped Sri Lanka win the ICC Women’s Championship series against New Zealand 2-1 in Galle in June and July.
Chamari Athapaththu: “I feel very happy and proud. I have finally achieved a big dream. Sometimes playing a level up is about improving, not impressing. So, I want to keep doing my best for my country all the time. Amelia, Nat and Ash are the world’s best all-rounders and I it was an honour to be nominated along with them.
“I have had some good achievements in the last few years. I am the first [female] Sri Lanka cricketer to score centuries in ODIs and T20Is, I had also scored 178 against Australia in the World Cup (2017), but this one is an important achievement of my career. I have sacrificed a lot for this award, so I am very happy.”
Pat Cummins receives the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after a phenomenal year which saw him produce outstanding individual performances while also leading his side to the ICC World Test Championship and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup titles.
Cummins is the fifth Australian to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, following Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007), Mitchell Johnson (2009 and 2014), Michael Clarke (2013) and Steve Smith (2015).
Cummins grabbed 42 wickets in 11 Tests during the year at an average of 27.50 with a best match haul of 10 for 47 in the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. These notable contributions came as Australia claimed their maiden World Test Championship mace and retained the Ashes on English soil.
In ODIs, he grabbed 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 5.74. His best figures of three for 51 against South Africa in the CWC23 semi-final was followed by a crucial spell of two for 34 against India in the blockbuster final in Ahmedabad.
Pat Cummins: “It’s a huge honour. It has been a big year, lots of wonderful team success. To get this individual honour is huge and I am pretty amazed. In terms of individual accolades, it is right up there.
“All the other nominees obviously had fantastic years as well. Travis, as a team-mate, I saw him win the World Test Championship Final and the World Cup final, and he was the Player of the Match in both matches. He had an amazing year. Jadeja and Kohli are both super consistent. They find a way to drag their team out of trouble and win it for them, so to win alongside those guys is really special.”
LIST OF ALL WINNERS
ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Pat Cummins (Australia)
ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)
ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year: Usman Khawaja (Australia)
ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Virat Kohli (India)
ICC Umpire of the Year: Richard Illingworth (England)
ICC Spirit of Cricket Award: Zimbabwe Cricket