Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2017: Top five T20 all-rounders of the year

"There's nothing called an all-rounder. Choose one thing, bat or ball". The words of my high-school coach still ring in my ears, and there isn't anything I can disagree with him more on than this. The ability to combine two arts and present them on one platform is nothing less than an achievement, and to do it on a consistent basis requires unique flair and talent.

In today's condensed world of cricket, a single player's contribution in all facets of the game matters, and all-rounders lend immense balance to the side by doing the job of two in one. With T20 leagues growing and booming around the world, short-format specialists are having the time of their lives. Here are some of the best all-rounders of the T20 format in 2017:

Samit Patel

His international career might be all but over (his last international game came way back in 2015), but there's no stopping Samit Patel when it comes to domestic T20s. He was in superb form for Nottinghamshire in the 2017 domestic season, in both List-A's and T20s, helping them win the Royal One-Day Cup as well as the NatWest T20 Blast. It helped his side get a promotion to the County Championship Division 1, and also earned him the 'Player of the Year' tag at the Professional Cricketers' Awards.

A total of 405 runs and 16 wickets in the NatWest T20 Blast earned him a place in the Wellington squad for the Super Smash this year, and he also plied his trade for Rajshahi Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League, but his performances in the other two leagues weren't as impressive.

In total, he scored 562 runs at an average of 29.57 and a strike-rate of 144.10, and snared 24 wickets in 26 games.

Mohammad Nabi

Nabi was one of Afghanistan's shining lights in 2017

Afghanistan are taking giant strides in international cricket, and Mohammad Nabi has been one of the stars of the country, and one of their most impactful cricketers abroad. One of only two players who were part of the IPL auctions in 2017 (and subsequently selected), Nabi had a stellar year in T20s, although his stint in the Indian T20 league was restricted to only three games with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In all, he scored 406 runs in T20s this year, coming down the order and striking the ball at the rate of 170. With the ball, his off-spin accounted for 40 wickets in 39 games, with an impressive economy of 6.75 and 3 three-wicket hauls in his kitty.

He had a solid season at the Bangladesh Premier League, garnering 230 runs for Chittagong Vikings at an average of 32 and strike-rate of over 170, as well as ending as the third-highest wicket taker in the tournament with 19 scalps.

The performances helped him secure a contract with Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, as a replacement for Sunil Narine.

Daniel Christian

At 34, Christian is still going strong

The veteran Australian all-rounder is the quintessential T20 player: built to smack bowlers over the ropes, he is more than a useful seam bowling option and a valuable asset in the field, even at the age of 34.

A known commodity in the IPL, Christian was first bought by the Deccan Chargers in 2011, but was with the Rising Pune Supergiant this year, picking 11 wickets from 13 games. In total, he scored 512 runs in 2017, striking the ball at a rate of 141, while picking up 31 wickets in 39 games, although his economy is concerning at 8.18.

Christian is an old salt, but his stocks are still not on the decline: he was recently recalled to the Australian T20I side against India, a decision leaning solely on his huge experience of playing in the country.

With the Notts, he won the 2017 NatWest T20 blast, finishing as the fourth-highest run-getter and fifth-highest wicket-taker for the side across the season. Just days after winning the title, the T20 mercenary was off on a boat to the Caribbean and made his way directly into Trinbago Knight Riders' playing XI.

And he will cap off the year with another stint in the Big Bash, for the Hobart Hurricanes in the tournament's seventh edition.

Benjamin Stokes

Stokes played a crucial role in Pune reaching the final of the 2017 IPL

Before alcohol, and a boxing session outside a UK bar, consumed his chances of playing this year's Ashes (and perhaps saving it for England), Stokes was in the midst of a dream 2017. His stocks were rising by the day and reached its apogee when the IPL auctions took place, turning him into an overnight millionaire.

Acquired for Rs. 14.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiant, Stokes was instrumental in the side reaching the finals, even though he was forced to leave them before the playoffs.

His contribution to the side was much more than the 312 runs and 12 wickets he collected in 12 games, as he provided remarkable balance and chipped in with crucial knocks at a strike-rate of 143.

Not part of the Ashes squad, Stokes turned to New Zealand, his birthplace, representing Canterbury in the Super Smash for three games. After a scratchy start, he returned to form with a blazing 47-ball 93 in one of the games. If only Stokes would have kept his cool that night outside the Bristol bar, just like he invariably does on a cricket field.

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine picked up a whopping 63 wickets in T20s this year

One was always in the knowledge of the fact that Sunil Narine could make some use of the bat (he had hit Glenn Maxwell for four consecutive sixes in a Test way back in 2013). That he could use the willow to such telling effect, however, wasn't foreseen, and came to light only in 2017. Having initially been tried up the order for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, Narine became a regular feature at the top of the order for Gautam Gambhir's KKR in this year's IPL.

But, let's get back to his bowling, for we know Narine as a ball-yielding magician.

While his impact on the game might seem to have gone down a few notches since his remodeled bowling action, it hardly showed in his numbers in 2017. In the IPL alone, he gathered 227 runs at a brow-raising strike-rate of 173, while picking up 10 wickets in 16 games. Rumours are rife that he is, till now, the only player KKR want to retain next year.

Playing T20 leagues around the world seems to be more than enough for Narine, who played as many as 64 T20 matches this year. With 702 runs and 63 wickets from them, he remains one of the most sought-after players in the shortest format.