Gerhard Erasmus, Esha Oza named ICC's Associate Cricketers of the Year 2022

International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the top performers from Associate cricket nations in 2022 on Wednesday (January 25). Namibia's captain Gerhard Erasmus has been named as Men's Associate Cricketer of the Year 2022 after remarkable performances in both ODIs and T20Is whereas United Arab Emirates all-rounder Esha Oza bagged the Women's Associate Cricketer of the Year 2022 award for her heroics.

Erasmus was the leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2022 with 956 runs from just 20 innings at an average of 56.23, including one century and eight fifties. He also topped the scoring chart for Nambia in T20Is last year with 306 runs from 11 innings at an average of 38.25 and a strike rate of 122.40. 

The 27-year-old also smashed his maiden ODI hundred last year, when he scored an unbeaten 121 off 120 against Oman in the Cricket World Cup League 2. He dragged Namibia from 53/7 to 226/10 and then won the Player of the Match after Oman's collapse to 116.

Erasmus also shone with the ball in white-ball cricket last year as he took 12 ODI wickets at an average of 27.66 and an economy rate of 4.04. He also picked six wickets in T20Is at an average of 18.50 and an economy rate of 5.55.

Esha Oza wins ICC's Women's Associate Cricketer of the Year 2022 award

Esha Oza, the Indian-born batting all-rounder, displayed top-notch performances in T20Is for United Arab Emirates in 2022 to win the Women's Associate Cricketer of the Year award. She was the second-highest run-scorer in T20Is with 675 runs from just 23 innings at an average of 35.52 and a strike rate of 134.19. Oza was the only female cricketer to hit two centuries in T20Is last year and also added two fifties.

The 24-year-old offspinner also impressed with a ball in T20Is last year. She took 15 wickets from 16 innings at an impressive average of 15.40 and an economy rate of 4.84. She took three wickets in her last international game in 2022, which was against Pakistan in the 2022 Women's Asia Cup in October.