India batter Suryakumar Yadav among nominees for T20I cricketer of the Year

NEW DELHI: India batter Suryakumar Yadav on Thursday was unveiled as one of the four nominees for the ICC Men's T20I cricketer of the year 2022 award.

Apart from him, England's left-arm pace all-rounder Sam Curran, Zimbabwe's off-spin all-rounder Sikandar Raza and Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have been nominated for the honour too.

Suryakumar had a sensational 2022 in the shortest format of the game, becoming just the second batter to score more than 1000 runs in a year in the format with his 360-degree strokeplay. He ended the year as the highest run-getter, scoring 1164 runs at a ridiculous strike rate of 187.43, averaging 46.56.

His tally of 68 sixes in 2022 is the highest anyone has hit in the format in a year by a fair distance. With two hundred and nine half-centuries in the year, Suryakumar was undoubtedly the standout men's T20I batter.

Suryakumar had lit up the Men's T20 World Cup in Australia, slamming 239 runs at an outstanding average of 59.75 and a whopping strike rate of 189.68, including match-tempo changing fifties against South Africa, Zimbabwe and Netherlands.

In the second T20I against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, he hit 11 fours and seven sixes all over the park at a strike rate of 217.65 to be unbeaten on 111 off 51 balls, his second T20I century.

But it was his first T20I century against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 117 off 55 balls, which caught the eye of cricket fans. From 31/3 in a run chase of 216, Suryakumar lifted India with his outrageous stroke-making, giving the visitors a chance at chasing down the target. Suryakumar put the team within touching distance of what would have been an incredible win. IANS

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