5 players who deserved to be in the ICC team of the year
The ICC (International Cricket Committee) has recently announced the awards for the year 2021. Apart from the individual awards, it has also announced teams of the year in all three formats. While the selections are made on the basis of recommendations by an expert committee, here are five players who deserved spots in these sides.
1. Liton Das
Bangladesh’s wicketkeeper batter Liton Das had a prolific 2021 as he smashed his maiden Test century against Pakistan at home and finished the year with 594 runs in seven Tests with an average of 49.50 and five half-centuries. He was Bangladesh’s highest run-scorer in the longest format of the game in 2021 with Mominul Haque on second for notching up 503 runs. He scored fifth-most runs (256) for Bangladesh in the ODIs in the year with only experienced players Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, and Shakib Al Hasan ahead of him.
2. Dhananjaya de Silva
The Sri Lankan all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva scored 530 runs in six Test matches with an average of 58.88 to go with two centuries and two fifties. His match-winning innings of 155* in the second innings of the second Test at Galle helped the Lankan Lions beat West Indies in the Test match subsequently winning the series 2-0. He also amassed 304 runs in 11 ODIs with an average of 30.40 and two fifties. With the ball in hand, he snared ten wickets across formats for Sri Lanka in 2021.
3. Haris Rauf
The right-arm pacer has certainly made his name in limited-overs cricket in the last year or so as he has become the third-choice bowler for Pakistan after Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali. Known for his T20 bowling more, Rauf took 25 wickets in 23 matches for the men in green with a strike rate of 18.3. His spell of 4/22 against the Kiwis was in the T20 WC group match was crucial as he won the Player of the Match award for winning his side the match. He also accumulated 13 wickets in six ODIs in 2021 with an average of 24.46 and at an impressive economy rate of 6.23.
4. Mahmudullah
The skipper of Bangladesh’s T20 side Mahmudullah mustered 496 runs in the format with an average of 23.61 for a batter who comes lower down the order in the batting line-up. He finished the year with second-most runs for his team after Mohammad Naim (575) in T20Is. In the 50-overs format, the T20I captain amassed 399 runs in 11 innings with an average of 49.87 and four half-centuries. He ended up being the third-highest run-scorer for the Bangla tigers in the ODIs in 2021.
5. Devon Conway
New Zealand’s new batting sensation Devon Conway achieved the stuff of dreams when slammed double century on his Test debut at the home of cricket, Lords. Conway ended the year with the second-highest run-scorer (379) for NZ in Tests, most runs (225) for NZ in ODIs, and also second-most runs (428) for his team in the T20Is. An average of 57.33 across formats in 2021 is just staggering for a batter who made his debut in late 2020. He started 2022 with a bang as well as he struck two Test centuries against Bangladesh.
