Dubai [UAE], January 3 (ANI): India’s star batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been nominated for the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2023 award with three other international stars, The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday.
“A pair of exciting fast bowlers and two classy left-hand batters are in the running for ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year honours for 2023,” ICC said in an official statement.
New Zealand’s star batter Rachin Ravindra, South Africa’s pace sensation Gerald Coetzee and Sri Lanka pacer Dilshan Madushanka are the contenders to win the award.
The year of 2023 promised many opportunities for youngsters looking to make their mark for India, and the 22-year-old Jaiswal almost every opportunity that came his way with his stunning knocks against big teams.
Jaiswal was given his Test debut in the Caribbean in July, and he made the most of it, scoring a century opening the batting in Dominica and winning Player of the Match honours. In the second Test of the trip, he contributed 57 and 38, with the half-century coming in an opening partnership of 139 with Rohit Sharma.
On the same tour, Jaiswal made his T20I debut, and despite a wobble in his first match, he replied with an innings of 84* from only 51 balls. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, he scored an even 100 (49) against Nepal, followed by half-centuries against Australia (53 from 25 balls) and South Africa (60 from 41 balls).
While representing his country in the other two formats before 2023, it was the ODI format, where Ravindra debuted in March, that he showed his capabilities.
He showed early promise with a 49-ball century against Sri Lanka, and he also contributed with the ball, grabbing three-wicket hauls against Pakistan and England, both away from home.
A fifty against England at Lord’s followed, but it was in the World Cup when Ravindra really shined. In the absence of Kane Williamson, the left-hander demonstrated class and mental acuity beyond his age with a knock of 123* (96).
Despite the increased attention and opponent gameplans, Ravindra continued to demonstrate his class. A 51-ball knock against the Dutch was followed by another half-century against India at Dharamsala. Ravindra didn’t stop there, scoring 116 in a gallant chase against Australia at the same venue, followed by another century against Pakistan in Bengaluru.
Ravindra’s 578 runs were the most by a New Zealand player in the competition, with only Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Quinton de Kock scoring more.
Gerald Coetzee stood tall, even under the stress of playing in a Cricket World Cup, when the Proteas needed a new face to come up on the bowling side.
Coetzee, who has velocities in excess of 145kph, made his Test debut in February, capturing three wickets in 18 overs against the West Indies in Centurion.
South Africa on paper looked lacking in the pace department before Cricket World Cup 2023 after Anrich Nortje was ruled out, though Coetzee’s lead-in and tournament proper only proved South Africa need not have worried. All in all, Coetzee claimed 31 wickets at an average of 23.22, only going wicketless twice in the format across the year – both against Australia – in their preparation series for the global tournament.
In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Madushanka started with a 1/38 (8) performance against the Netherlands before exploding with a 3/15 (5) performance against Zimbabwe, taking the wickets of both openers and Wessly Madhevere at No.3. (ANI)
