England stars Ben Stokes and Nat Sciver win ICC cricketer of the year awards

England

England Test captain Ben Stokes and all-rounder Nat Sciver have won ICC cricketer of the year awards.

Stokes, 31, who led England to nine wins from 10 Tests, was named men’s Test cricketer of the year after “completely transforming the form, fortunes and style” of his team.

Sciver was awarded the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC women’s cricketer of the year and named women’s one-day international cricketer of the year.

Stokes assumed the Test captaincy from Joe Root in April 2022. Prior to his appointment – which coincided with the arrival of new head coach Brendon McCullum – England had won just one of their previous 17 Tests.

But Stokes led England to home series victories over New Zealand and South Africa, a win against India in a one-off postponed Test, and a brilliant away whitewash of Pakistan.

He also scored 870 runs, with an average of 36.25, and took 26 wickets.

The ICC said: “One player defined the year of Test cricket more than any other in 2022 and is the clear and deserving winner of the ICC men’s Test cricketer of the year award.

“On the basis of his numbers alone, England’s talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes had an excellent year in the whites of international Test cricket.

“But sometimes the game is about more than just numbers, and in 2022 Stokes – along with new England head coach Brendon McCullum – completely transformed the form, fortunes and style of England men’s Test team.

“Players and teams have played extremely attacking cricket before. But Stokes has delivered a new level for his consistent commitment to England’s entertaining and aggressive approaches with bat, ball and in the field.”

Sciver, 30, scored 1,346 runs and took 22 wickets from 33 international matches and was lauded by the ICC for her “jaw-dropping knocks and being a non-stop threat with the ball”.

England all-rounder Nat Sciver
England all-rounder Nat Sciver enjoyed a superb year with both bat and ball (Mike Egerton/PA)

Sciver finished the World Cup as the tournament’s third-highest scorer as England reached the final – where she scored a superb 148 not out from 121 balls – in the defeat by Australia. She also claimed her maiden Test century against South Africa in June.

“I’ve been really happy with my form this year,” said Sciver.

“It’s weird to think that the World Cup was this year, too. The two centuries in the World Cup were really special, and the Test match innings against South Africa was brilliant, too.

“As cricketers we are perfectionists and often remember the negative things that have happened so it’s hard to remember all the good things but there have been some great memories and highlights.”

Ben Stokes Nat Sciver

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