CricTracker Fan Poll: Best ODI cricketers of 2017

The year 2017 was an exciting one in terms of cricket. Scores of records fell as new ones were made and the heroes of the current times continued to dominate the game. In batting, the Virat Kohlis and Steve Smiths continued to scale greater heights while in bowling, it was the spinners who took the top spots as four of them booked their spots among the top five.

Team-wise, too, 2017 was a year of great feats in ODI cricket. It was Pakistan, one of the greatest sides of the game that had lost favour in recent times which lifted the coveted Champions Trophy in England, hammering arch-rivals India. India, however, had an excellent year otherwise, winning all six bilateral series they played in the year. Australia also had a memorable 2017, drubbing England in a one-sided Ashes series. The Indian eves’ losing a close match against England in the World Cup final was yet another pride for Indian cricket.

As it does every month, CricTracker ran a fan poll on its official Facebook page to pick the best one-day international player of the year and the list included, besides familiar names like Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and a couple of Pakistanis like Babar Azam and Hasan Ali and others. And guess who turned out to be the winner. It’s easy, it’s Virat Kohli.

7. Joe Root (England) – 1% vote

Joe Root had a decent run in ODIs in 2017 as he finished as the fourth best scorer with 983 runs in 19 matches at a superlative average of 70.21. The English Test skipper though ends the year at a low in the Ashes but overall had a year full of contribution in the coloured clothing. That though wasn’t enough to impress the fans and he managed just 1% votes.

Ben Stokes (England) – 1% vote

His colleague Ben Stokes, also a pillar of England’s batting line-up, accumulated 616 runs in 15 ODI games at an average of 61.60 to finish as the third best scorer for England in 2017 after Root and Eoin Morgan. Stokes, however, did not have the best of times of his career in 2017, thanks to injury and off-field controversies.

6. Jasprit Bumrah (India) – all 2% votes

Jasprit Bumrah is trolled often for taking wickets in no-balls but that doesn’t take away his credit of finishing as India’s best ODI bowler in 2017 with an impressive tally of 39 wickets. The medium pacer has taken 23 games to take these many scalps, finishing with an average of 26.25.  Overall, he finished third, behind Pakistan’s Hasan Ali and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.

Bhuvneshwar Kuma (India)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar also had a good 2017 as he finished with 28 ODI wickets, finishing as the third best Indian bowler after Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. The Indian spearhead took 24 matches for his scalps at an average of 33.89. And like Bumrah, he also finished with a five-wicket haul this year.

Quinton de Kock (South Africa)

Quinton de Kock finished as the sixth highest run-getter in the ODIs in 2017, amassing 956 runs in 19 matches at an average of 53.11. He is, however, the best-placed South African batsman in that list, beating Faf du Plessis (905 runs). He hit two tons in 2017, with the highest being an unbeaten 168 against Bangladesh in October.

5. Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 4% vote

Babar Azam finished among the top 10 run-getters in ODIs in 2017, accumulating 872 runs in 18 matches at an average of. The 23-year-old right-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm off-break is one Pakistan’s high hopes for the future. His average of 58-plus in ODIs speaks for his batting prowess and he already has seven centuries to his name in 36 games he has played since May 2015. He also has seven fifties which showcases his terrific conversion rate.

Azam, along with Hasan Ali, played a crucial role in Pakistan’s 5-0 win over Sri Lanka at the UAE this year and with such promising youngsters performing after the historic Champions Trophy triumph, Pakistan can fancy a return to its glory days in cricket once again.

4. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) – 7% vote

As a player from a country which has just started surprising the cricketing world, Rashid Khan has accomplished a mammoth feat. The 19-year-old leg break bowler has grabbed 43 wickets in 2017, finishing just two short of the topper Hasan Ali and he has done it at a magical average of 10.44. Khan’s best figure of 7 for 18 – the fourth best in this format – was achieved against the West Indies in the Caribbeans this year and it was a massive statement from the diminutive bowler.

Rashid Khan’s significance for his team also increases because he is a decent bat, averaging 22.45 in the ODIs with two fifties to his credit. The man will certainly be one of Afghanistan’s major pillars when they begin their missions in Test as well.

3. Hasan Ali (Pakistan) – 14% vote

Hasan Ali, the 23-year-old medium fast bowler from Pakistan, ended up as the highest wicket-taker in ODIs in 2017, bagging 45 scalps in 18 matches at an average of 17.04. Ali, who made his ODI debut in 2016, has already picked 56 wickets in 26 matches with three five-wicket hauls. The man had the moment of his life in the final of the Champions Trophy when his country annihilated India. Ali, along with Mohammad Amir, took three wickets but conceded just 19 runs.

Ali has risen through the ranks from a young age and in him, Pakistan aspire to see an asset for a long time to serve. The lad has just started but is showing a big promise, especially in the ODI and T20 formats. We wish Ali a terrific bowling career ahead.

2. Rohit Sharma (India) – 19% vote

Though a distant second, Rohit Sharma too had a fantastic year, especially towards its end. The man, who led India in the one-day international series against Sri Lanka in Kohli’s absence, wielded his bat like a magic wand. He hit an unbeaten 208 against the Lankans to see his team square the series and it was his third double ton in the limited-over format. To say it’s incredible is to make an understatement.

Sharma finished at 1,293 runs in 21 matches that he played for India in 2017 at a staggering average of 71.83. As mentioned above, Sharma is the only other batsman to hit six centuries in 2017 while he scored five fifties, two less than his regular skipper.

1. Virat Kohli (India) – 48% vote

Kohli had a terrific 2017 in the shorter format, just like his team. The 29-year-old even though did not play in the final series of the year against Sri Lanka, yet his tally of 1,460 runs remained unconquered, Rohit Sharma’s earth-shattering 208 not out notwithstanding.

Virat Kohli hit six tons in 2017, matched only by Rohit who finished second in the list. His average recorded was an impressive 76.84 while his highest score was 131 against Sri Lanka.

Have a look at – CricTracker Fan Poll: Top 10 Test cricketers of the year 2017