Suryakumar Yadav wins ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022 Award; Tahlia McGrath wins women's award

Dubai, January 25: Team India batting sensation Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday (January 25) won the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022 award following a stellar year for the national side.

Suryakumar, who had a stunning year with the bat breaking an array of records and setting a benchmark like never before in the format, beat of England's T20 World Cup 2022 Player of the Tournament Sam Curran for the award.

Apart from Suryakumar and Curran, Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza and Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan were also nominated for the ICC Men's T20I Player of the Year 2022 award.

Yadav became just the second batter to make more than 1000 runs in a calendar year in T20Is and ended the year as the highest run-getter, scoring 1164 runs in 31 matches at a ridiculous strike rate of 187.43 and an average of 46.56.

The 32-year-old, who made his debut in 2021 by hitting the first ball he faced in international cricket for a six, smashed a stunning 68 sixes during the year 2022, easily the most recorded by anyone in a year in the format's history.

The Indian, who scored two hundreds and nine half-centuries, served as his team's go to man when it came to the side's need for runs throughout the year. He was also named in the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year on Monday (January 23).

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At the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, Yadav was at the top of his game, scoring three fifties in six innings and averaging close to 60 and a strike rate of 189.68. He scored India's fourth fastest fifty in the show-piece event, getting to the landmark in 25 balls.

After the World Cup tournament, Suryakumar carried on his rich-vein of form by scoring his second century in the T20Is of the year in the bilateral series in New Zealand. He had scored a century earlier in the year against England. He became only the second Indian after Rohit Sharma to score two hundreds in a calendar year.

Yadav also attained a career-high 890 rating points to take the top spot in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings. He had a few memorable performances throughout the year.

But his best performance came in Nottingham, where he made his first T20I hundred, a remarkable 117 off 55 balls, against one of the best white-ball teams currently, England.

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Yadav raised India from 31/3 in a run chase of 216 to lift India, giving the visitors a chance to knock down the target. Although he was dismissed, India was still within striking distance of a stunning triumph that would have made them renowned.

The batting sensation has carried on his form from last year to 2023 as well, striking another hundred, the second fastest by Indian, reaching the landmark in 45 balls against Sri Lanka.

Tahlia McGrath wins ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022 Award

Australian all-rounder Tahlia McGrath beat dashing India opener Smriti Mandhana, Pakistan all-rounder Nida Dar and New Zealand captain Sophie Devine to claim the coveted ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year Award.

In 16 T20I matches last year, McGrath starred both with bat and ball, scoring 435 runs at an average of 62.14 and taking 13 wickets.

McGrath started 2022 with a bang against England, scoring a quick-fire unbeaten 91 off just 49 balls. Her entertaining innings was studded with 13 fours and a six.

At the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, she amassed 128 runs in five matches, averaging 42.66. She went on to win the gold medal with Australia. For her stellar showing, she was voted as the ICC Women's Player of the Month for August this year.