Cricketers of the Week: 4th June – 11th June

Shikhar Dhawan: Mr. Consistent in ICC tournaments

It has been a great week of ODI cricket as the Champions Trophy in England pitted the top eight nations in the world against each other. The tournament which seemed like a washout early on came alive in the second half as three Asian teams made it to the semi-finals with two lower ranked teams viz. Bangladesh and Pakistan, making it to the surprise of everyone.

There was plenty of cricket and plenty of great performances. Here we take a look at the top cricketers of the week.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

There is something about Dhawan and ICC events. A testament to that is the fact that the Indian opener became the fastest player to score 1000 runs in ICC events breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record.

Dhawan, who scored a half-century against Pakistan and a century against Sri Lanka continued his fine form with a reliable, supremely well-controlled 78 off 83 balls to steer the chase against South Africa as India romped home to 193, winning the game by eight wickets.

This was a must-win game for India and Dhawan, who is the leading run-scorer in the tournament so far, ensured India make it to the semi-final, where they will clash against Bangladesh. Dhawan has already added a couple of century partnerships, 136 and 138 with his long-standing opening partner Rohit Sharma, who has scored two half-centuries himself.

#2 Shakib Al Hasan

Image result for sportskeeda shakib — Shakib: Bangladesh’s super-star

Bangladesh’s talismanic superstar did it again, pulling them out of the jaws of defeat and giving them a remarkable victory that took them to their first semi-final in an ICC event.

Batting first at Cardiff, New Zealand amassed 265. In reply, Bangladesh were down and out at 12 for 3 and then 33 for 4. However, they had their star all-rounder still to make a statement. Shakib played aggressive cricket during his 115-ball 114 with 11 fours and a six, adding a massive 224 runs for the fifth wicket with Mahmudullah. He fell at the end but only after steering the Bangla Tigers to the doorstep of victory.

This was also Bangladesh’s biggest ODI partnership.