ICC Awards 2023: Final nominees revealed for Sobers, Heyhoe Flint and Test Awards

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the final group of outstanding performers shortlisted in three ICC Awards 2023 categories; the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year.

The reveal of the final set of categories means that global cricket fans can now vote for their favourite cricketers from 2023 in nine ICC Awards categories.

The nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy see Australia and India share two candidates each after a year in which they met in both the ICC World Test Championship Final and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final.

Pat Cummins lifted the silverware on both of those occasions, and the Australia skipper is nominated in the top men’s category following a landmark year. Cummins, a former ICC Test Cricketer of the Year (2019), hit new heights in 2023, showcasing outstanding captaincy skills and also dazzling with ball in hand, taking 59 wickets in Tests and ODIs. 

Travis Head also enjoyed a momentous year as one of the primary architects of Australia’s trophy-winning success. Head became the player for the big occasion in 2023, starring with the bat in both Finals to claim the Player of the Match award. The all-rounder amassed almost 1700 runs across formats during the year and claimed important wickets with the ball.

India icon Virat Kohli is in contention to win his third Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after more notable run-scoring feats in 2023. Kohli eclipsed ICC Hall of Famer Sachin Tendulkar last year with a record-breaking 50th ODI century, and can also boast the Player of the Tournament award from CWC23 and 2048 international runs.

Ravindra Jadeja completes the lineup of nominees for the top men’s award following a year in which he took 66 wickets – more than any other player - and recorded 613 runs across formats, providing valuable contributions in India’s spin attack on their way to two Finals.

The shortlist for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy features 2022 winner Nat Sciver-Brunt, after another year of dominance across formats in women’s international cricket. The England all-rounder took nine wickets and scored 894 runs in 2023, holding an impressive batting average of 45.50 in T20Is and 131.00 in ODIs.

Chamari Athapaththu is the only player nominated in three categories in the ICC Awards 2023 thanks to a standout year in the women’s game. The Sri Lanka skipper was in dazzling form for much of 2023, leading from the front as her side claimed landmark series victories and scoring 885 runs along the way in ODIs and T20Is.

Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner took more wickets than anyone else in women’s internationals in 2023, taking 58 wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Beyond the statistics, Gardner also won the Player of the Tournament award at the record-breaking ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for her all-round brilliance, and became the first player to win back-to-back ICC Women’s Player of the Month prizes in June and July.

Her compatriot Beth Mooney also stands in contention for the top women’s award thanks to a memorable year in which she scored more runs than anyone else in women’s international cricket. Mooney registered 1040 runs in 2023, which included a match-winning 74 not out in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final victory over hosts South Africa.

The ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year contenders include two heroes from Australia’s World Test Championship winning campaign.

Opener Usman Khawaja topped the run-scoring charts in the longest format last year, amassing 1210 runs at an average of 52.60 which included three centuries. As well as his crucial performances in Australia’s maiden WTC triumph, Khawaja was leading run-scorer in the high octane Ashes series in June and July.

Also nominated is Travis Head, the all-rounder recording 919 runs in the longest format at an average of 41.77. The highlight of his Test year was undoubtedly his starring role in the WTC Final win over India hitting a memorable knock of 163 in the first innings at the Oval.

R Ashwin ended the year as the top ranked Test bowler in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Bowler Rankings, taking 41 wickets at a striking average of 17.02 and recording the most five-wicket hauls of anyone in Tests in 2023 with four.

England’s Test resurgence continued in 2023, and Joe Root was at the forefront of England’s success. Root last claimed the Test Cricketer of the Year award back in 2021, and this time around he registered 787 runs in eight Tests, finishing the year with a strong average of 65.58.

Shortlists have revealed in nine ICC Awards 2023 categories, and have been determined by a specialist panel of cricket writers and broadcasters, who selected the nominees according to on-field performances and overall achievements in international cricket through the calendar year.

Fan voting results will be combined with selections made by the ICC Voting Academy to identify the winner in each of the shortlisted categories.

Other categories which will be celebrated in the ICC Awards 2023 include the ICC Men’s and Women’s Associate Cricketers of the Year, the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award and the ICC Umpire of the Year, making a total of 13 prizes.

In addition to the individual awards, five ICC Teams of the Year will be also decided by the ICC Voting Academy, identifying the standout XIs across men’s and women’s international cricket in 2023.

Winners of the ICC Awards 2023 will be announced later in January 2024.

ICC Awards 2023 – Shortlists

Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year; Pat Cummins (Australia), Travis Head (Australia), Ravindra Jadeja (India), Virat Kohli (India)

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year; Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Ashleigh Gardner (Australia), Beth Mooney (Australia), Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)

ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year; R Ashwin (India), Travis Head (Australia), Usman Khawaja (Australia), Joe Root (England)

ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year; Shubman Gill (India), Virat Kohli (India), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand), Mohammed Shami (India)

ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year; Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Ashleigh Gardner (Australia), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)

ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year; Mark Chapman (New Zealand), Alpesh Ramjani (Uganda), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Suryakumar Yadav (India)

ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year; Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Hayley Matthews (West Indies), Ellyse Perry (Australia)

ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year; Gerald Coetzee (South Africa), Yashasvi Jaiswal (India), Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka), Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)

ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year; Marufa Akter (Bangladesh), Lauren Bell (England), Darcey Carter (Scotland), Phoebe Litchfield (Australia)