5 contenders for T20 International Performance of the Year Award

In 2008, the ICC added a category to its annual award ceremony to honour the best T20 international performer of the year.

55 T20Is took place during the 2017 window, and there were some truly unbelievable individual performances.

New Zealand sits on top of the ICC T20I rankings, while India is at No. 5. Rashid Khan leads the wicket-takers list and Evin Lewis has scored the most runs.

Let's look at the top five contenders for the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award.

#5 Asela Gunaratne

This young right-hander has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal year for Sri Lankan cricket. He is a stylish batsman with great technique and timing and is tenacious under pressure.

In a T20I game against Australia at Geelong, he scored an unbeaten 84 off 46 balls to take Sri Lanka to victory. It was a brilliant knock, considering that Sri Lanka was reeling at 40/5, chasing 174. He came in at No. 5 and hit six fours and five sixes.

He helped his team clinch the T20I series 2-1, and was Man of the Series for his stunning batting display throughout the tournament.

#4 Colin Munro

New Zealand v Pakistan - first T20

The left-handed batsman from Auckland is a South-African born New Zealander, and one of the most destructive hitters in world cricket. Munro plays in various T20I leagues and has a reputation as a hard-hitter.

In a T20I game against Bangladesh at Mount Maunganui, Munro smashed a brilliant 100 off 50 balls to take New Zealand to victory. It was a stunning knock, which included seven fours and seven sixes. He decimated the young Bangladeshi pace attack to reach his maiden T20I hundred.

#3 Rashid Khan

A year to remember for young Rashid

The youngest cricketer to claim 100 T20I wickets, Rashid Khan is definitely the find of 2017. The leg-spinner's journey has been incredible so far, and he is only 19 years old.

In a T20I game against Ireland at Noida, defending a target of 111 in 11 overs, Rashid foxed every Irish batsman and finished the game with a spell that read 2-1-3-5. He was simply too good for the Irish batsmen.

What makes him a dangerous bowler is his consistency. His accuracy is astounding, as is his mental presence in the death overs.

#2 Yuzvendra Chahal

England decimated by Chahal's guile

He made his international debut in June 2016 in an ODI against Zimbabwe. At present, he is India's No. 1 limited-overs spinner. Aussie batsman Maxwell knows this better than many others, as he fell prey to him three times in a row in the recently concluded series.

In a T20I match against England at Bengaluru, the RCB leg-spinner produced a magical spell of bowling to claim a career-best 6/25, the best figure by an Indian bowler.

He is the first Indian bowler to get a 5-for in a T20I match. His tally ranks third overall in T20I history.

#1 Evin Lewis

Lewis destroyed India in a stunning knock

The next "big thing" in West Indies cricket, Lewis opens with Gayle, and has even outpaced him a few times this year. The left-hander from Trinidad is a ferocious hitter, and very strong on the leg-side.

Chasing 191 on a flat Kingston track against India, Lewis unleashed some majestic hitting and decimated India's best bowlers to finish the game in 18.3 overs with 125* from 62 balls. He sure has a long and destructive career ahead of him.