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The International Cricket Council announced its annual awards for the year 2019 today. England's talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes received undivided attention and was a unanimous choice for the esteemed Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Best Cricketer of the Year award.
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Stokes scripted one of the finest years in England's reputable cricketing history by playing an important role in winning their first ICC Cricket World Cup at home, making 84 runs, and leading a surreal run-chase in the third Ashes Test at Headingley in Leeds, scoring 135 not out. He scored 719 runs and took 12 wickets in 20 ODIs in 2019 apart from his 821 runs and 22 wickets in 11 Tests last year.
Speaking to the ICC, Ben Stokes thanked his family, team members, the support staff and fans all around the globe for continuing to believe in him despite occasional hiccups. He said:
“It is quite flattering to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year. The past 12 months have been incredible for England cricket and to lift the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time was our greatest achievement.
“This award is testament to my teammates and the support staff that have been there every step of the way. Fundamentally, without the support of these individuals, we would never achieved our objective of lifting a major trophy.
“There is an incredible bond between teammates and to savour our achievements, whether that’s winning the World Cup Final at Lord’s or digging deep to win a Test match against Australia at Headingley. It is satisfying you can accomplish these superb highs together.
“The last 12 months have been the best in my career, and I believe what we attained will be the catalyst to achieve further success over the next few years.”
Vice-captain in the limited-overs format, Rohit Sharma was adjudged the ODI player of the year for his stupendous performances, especially in the ICC CWC last year, scoring five centuries and ending as the highest run-getter of the tournament with 648 runs at an astonishing average of 81.00. Talking to the ICC, Rohit Sharma said:
“I would like to thank the ICC for giving me this award and the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to represent the country. It is great to be recognised in this fashion. We are very happy with the way we performed as a team in 2019. We could have done better but we have a lot of positives and a lot to look forward to in 2020.”
Australian pacer Pat Cummins' consistent showings in the longest format throughout the year helped him walk away with the ICC Test player of the year award. In 12 Tests Cummins claimed 59 Test wickets and ended the year as the top-ranked Test bowler in the ICC rankings.
“It’s a tremendous honour to be considered the best player of last year and one which was certainly unexpected. I owe much to my team, team-mates and all those involved in Australian cricket for what was a really successful year for the team. The highlight was certainly being able to retain the Ashes which was a great reward for the hard work that went into that tour.”
Indian captain Virat Kohli won the ICC spirit of cricket award for his gesture to the crowd in support of Steven Smith during the ICC CWC encounter between India and Australia.
“I’m surprised that I have got it, after many years of being under the scanner for the wrong things. It is part of camaraderie that sportsmen must have with each other. That moment was purely understanding an individual’s situation. I don’t think a guy who is coming out of a situation like that needs to be taken advantage of. You can sledge, can have have banter on the field, you say things to the opposition in wanting to beat them. But booing someone is not in the spirit of any sport, I don’t endorse it."
“Also, that should not be a representation of our fans and what we stand as a cricketing nation, a sporting nation. We need to all take responsibility towards that. Intimidate the opposition, definitely try and have an upper hand but in a matter that is not targeting someone emotionally. That is not acceptable at any level and people should be wary of that.”
Australian sensation Marnus Labuschagne won the emerging player of the year award for scoring 1104 runs in 11 Tests which saw him jump from 110 in the batting rankings to fourth by the end of 2019. Coming in for the first time at the international stage as the concussion substitute to Steven Smith, Labuschagne made the spot his own with consistent performances.
“It’s been exciting, it has been a great journey and I am very humbled with this award. It has been a great summer but the challenge is when you have a summer like that is to make sure you are backing it up and keep doing it. Being part of such a great team has been amazing, I have been very fortunate to be able to play in what is a great time for Australian cricket.”
Deepak Chahar, who took six wickets for seven runs which also included a hat-trick against Bangladesh, was adjudged as the best T20I performance of the year. His figures read 3.2-0-7-6.
“I am very happy to receive this award. I would like to thank the ICC for this award and to the BCCI for giving me a chance to represent my country. That performance was very special for me. I got an opportunity to play for India after a long time. Taking six wickets conceding only seven runs was a dream performance for me and will always remain close to my heart.”
Scotland batsman Kyle Coetzer won the Associate cricketer of the year award for his remarkable form with the bat that saw him score 880 runs in 18 ODI matches and 702 runs in 22 T20Is and helped Scotland secure a T20 WC qualification this year.
“It is a huge honour to have won the award. It was a huge shock, I certainly did not expect it, which makes it even more special. A big shout out needs to go to everyone who supported me throughout in 2019 – my family, my friends, all Cricket Scotland supporters who have come out through thick and thin, usually in some poor weather to be honest, everyone in the Cricket Scotland office as well as the backroom staff. A very special mention needs to go out to the players who support me on the field every day.”
Richard Illingworth won the David Shepherd Trophy for Umpire of the Year. He thanked everyone for supporting him through the highs and lows of his career.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to be named umpire of the year. To join the prestigious list of previous recipients of the award is very humbling.
“Although umpiring can be seen to be quite individual, there’s a huge amount done as a collective .I’d like to thank all my fellow match officials, the ICC and the ECB offices who have been great sounding boards and inspirations over the years. Also, thank you to my coach Denis Burns who helps me a huge amount and puts a great perspective on tough days.
“My family have been a tremendous support over the years and I’m delighted to share this award with them.
ICC Men’s Cricket Awards
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Best Cricketer of the Year
Ben Stokes (England)
Test Cricketer of the Year
Pat Cummins (Australia)
ODI Cricketer of the Year
Rohit Sharma (India)
T20I Performance of the Year
Deepak Chahar (India, 6-7 v Bangladesh)
Emerging Cricketer of the Year
Marnus Labuschagne (Australia)
Associate Cricketer of the Year
Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)
Spirit of Cricket Award
Virat Kohli stopping the fans booing Steve Smith at the Oval
David Shepherd Trophy for Umpire of the Year
Richard Illingworth
ICC Test Team of the Year (in batting order)
Mayank Agarwal, Tom Latham, Marnus Labuschagne, Virat Kohli (captain), Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, BJ Watling (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Neil Wagner, Nathan Lyon
ICC ODI Team of the Year (in batting order)
Rohit Sharma, Shai Hope, Virat Kohli (captain), Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
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