Lagatar24 Desk
Dubai, Dec 28: India’s spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, England captain Joe Root, New Zealand’s all-rounder Kylie Jamieson and Sri Lanka’s Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne have been nominated for the ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year 2021 award.
Four players have been nominated for the ICC Men’s Test Player of the Year 2021 award 📢
Does your favourite cricketer make the list?
Details 👇https://t.co/6RZw7ewNAC
— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2021
R Ashwin, one of India’s greatest match-winners in the longest format, asserted his dominance as one of the world’s best spinners in 2021. Apart from his skill with the ball, Ashwin also contributed significantly with the bat.
The Indian spinner bagged 52 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 16.23 while smashing 337 runs at 28.08 with one century.
England’s Test skipper Joe Root, who has scored 1,708 runs in 15 matches with six centuries in 2021, has also been nominated for the award. Notably, Joe Root has become only the third player in history to score over 1,700 runs in Test cricket in a calendar year. Only Mohammad Yousuf and Sir Vivian Richards stand between him and the throne.
Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand, who took 27 wickets in five matches at 17.51, is the other nominee. Kyle Jamieson emerged as one of the most promising fast bowling prospects in world cricket in 2021, another brilliant addition to the Kiwi pace battery.
Jamieson was the X-factor of New Zealand’s pace attack in a pivotal year in which they won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, defeating India in the final, brilliantly supplanting and often surpassing the exploits of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner. He was the standout performer in Southampton, scalping seven wickets and contributing a handy 21 runs in the first innings, winning the Player of the Match award for his showing.
The final nominee is Sri Lankan Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who scored 902 runs in seven matches at 69.38, including four centuries. A brilliant century in Johannesburg against South Africa, two centuries against Bangladesh in two matches in Pallekele, including a double ton, and a brilliant century against West Indies in Galle were some of the highlights from another stunning year for Karunaratne.
