'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwX/2gAIAQEAAAAAih//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAECEAAAAH//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAhEAACAQMDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEERIABQYiMmKBgv/aAAgBAQABPwCv4arwNNUSw1BsgyeLrItj3X8gfnT8Y2+ndoVkZljOAJhFzb3r/8QAGREAAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAA1HB/9oACAECAQE/AHsZUBGnk//EABcRAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwD/2gAIAQMBAT8AxzLVi7//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
We are nearing the end of yet another calendar year, and it has witnessed some breathtaking cricketing action. Some of the games played in 2019 have been hailed as the most exciting and thrilling of all time.
The final of the ICC World Cup saw New Zealand and England lock horns in one of the most dramatic games of all time. In the end it was England who were crowned champions for the first time ever, in a rather controversial manner.
England and Australia then played out one of the greatest Test matches of all time, where Ben Stokes and Jack Leach stitched a 76-run stand for the last wicket to seal the deal for England.
2019 has also seen the start of the ICC World Test Championship, and India are bossing it right now with 240 points from 5 games.
India are on top of the Test match rankings, while England are the No. 1 ODI team. In the T20I format, Pakistan occupy the top spot.
Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are ranked No. 1 in the Test, ODI and T20I rankings, respectively.
We have just two months left in this calendar year and as such, the race for the ICC Cricketer of the Year Award is bound to intensify. Virat Kohli won the award in 2018 and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to retain it.
On that note, here's a look at the top five contenders for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award.
#5 Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins has been in terrific form throughout the year and has picked up a truckload of wickets for Australia. He has established himself as one of the best in the world and is one of the few bowlers who can deliver the goods across all three formats.
Cummins is the No. 1 ranked bowler in Tests and occupies the 4th position in the ICC rankings for bowlers in the 50-over format.
His batting is also very useful for the Kangaroos and due to his impressive performances in that area, he is in the top 10 of the all-rounders rankings in the longest format of the game.
In eight Test matches this year, Cummins has picked up 43 wickets at a strike rate of 40.5. The 26-year-old's incredible form was one of the main reasons for Australia retaining the Ashes.
In the ODI format, he has picked up 31 wickets in 16 games at a strike rate of 27.3. His economy rate of 4.73 also makes for good reading.
The Sydney-born star still has a possible 6 T20Is and 4 Test matches to play this year, and he will look to make the most of the game time.
Also see - Live cricket score
#4 Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes has had a memorable year in which he managed to win the World Cup and be part of a team that created history. He played a key role for England in their World Cup campaign; without him, it wouldn't have been possible for The Lions to triumph.
Stokes was simply stunning in the final and stitched a crucial partnership with Jos Buttler. His superb 84 ensured that the match went into the Super Over, and the rest as we know is history.
Stokes had a great time in the Ashes too, and was at the centre of one of the greatest matches the world has ever seen. He single-handedly took his country to a win as he scored an unbeaten 135 in the third Test.
In 8 Tests this year, Stokes has scored 627 runs at an average of 48.23 while also picking up 18 wickets. The New Zealand-born player has also scored 719 runs in 20 ODIs at an average of nearly 60, along with 12 wickets.
Stokes still has a possible 5 T20Is and 3 Test matches to go, and he will try to keep up the good work.
#3 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli won the award in 2017 and 2018, and he is once again a strong contender to win it in 2019. If he manages to win the award this year too, he will become the first player to win it thrice.
Kohli has been at his usual best lately, scoring runs without any problems whatsoever. Along with Rohit Sharma, he is the only batsman to feature in the top 10 of the ICC rankings across all the formats.
Kohli has scored 479 runs in 6 Test matches at an average of 68, and led his team to 5 victories. The Run Machine has also scored 1288 runs in 22 ODIs at an average of 64.4, winning 16 matches out of 22 with a win percentage of 73%.
The Indian skipper has had a very good year, and the only thing that he will regret is the World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand in a thriller. He still has a possible 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is left this year.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has arguably had a career-best year, managing to score runs in all formats of the game.
He enjoyed a terrific World Cup campaign and scored five hundreds. Along with Virat Kohli, he carried India's batting lineup; the duo's collective failure coincided with the entire team's failure in the semifinal.
Rohit's inhuman World Cup coupled with his explosive start to life as an opener in the longest format of the game, make him a strong candidate for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. He scored 529 runs in just four innings in the longest format, including two hundreds in a single game, which made him just the 6th Indian batsman to score hundreds in both the innings of a Test match.
In the 50-over format, the Mumbaikar has scored 1232 runs in 24 games at an average of 53.56, and 648 of those runs came in the World Cup where he was the top scorer. He still has a possible 2 Tests, 6 T20Is and 3 ODIs to go, and could become the 3rd Indian to win the award in the last four years.
#1 Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson is undoubtedly one of the best cricketers of his generation, and is possibly on his way to becoming New Zealand's greatest ever. He has been nothing short of sensational for the Kiwis both as batsman and skipper. He was one of the better batsmen at the World Cup and easily the best captain of the tournament.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad star carried his team and didn't let the weight of expectations get the better of him. He could have become the first Kiwi captain to lead his country to a World Cup title, but his dreams were shattered due to the controversial boundary rule - which has now been scrapped.
The Tauranga-born player has scored 298 runs in 4 Test matches (5 innings) at an average of 74.5. He has also racked up 948 runs in 20 ODIs at an average of 59.25 to go with that. Williamson has won 12 ODIs as captain in 20 games, and in the four Test matches he has played, he has captained his team to three victories.
Williamson won the Player of the Tournament award for his exploits in the World Cup, and that significantly boosts his chances of winning the Cricketer of the Year Award. He still has a possible 5 T20Is and 4 Tests to play, and it looks like this is his award to lose.
Honorable mentions: Quinton de Kock, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammed Shami and Trent Boult
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
