Pat Cummins adjudged winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year 2023
Australian skipper Pat Cummins won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year 2023.
Cummins achieved incredible success as a player and captain for the Aussies last year, leading them to the World Test Championship (WTC) and ODI World Cup titles.
Cummins started the year off slowly, with only seven wickets in the first three Tests against South Africa and India. However, he picked up steam by grabbing four wickets in the WTC final win over India.
The Aussie skipper continued his wicket-taking run in England by picking up 18 scalps in the 2-2 drawn Ashes series. Cummins then endured another dry patch at the start of the ODI World Cup but lifted his game in the matches that mattered and finished the tournament with 15 wickets.
More importantly, the champion bowler was on song in the semi-final and final with three and two wickets, respectively. Pat Cummins rounded off the year with back-to-back five-wicket hauls in the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.
In addition to his bowling, Cummins also played several valuable cameos with the bat, including scores of 38 and 44* in Australia's thrilling win in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston.
While his 12* and 14* against Afghanistan and South Africa (semi-final) in the 2023 World Cup do not appear to be much, they were crucial to Australia's cause in pulling off close finishes.
Overall, Cummins finished with 59 wickets in 24 matches last year, including three five-wicket hauls, and scored 422 runs at an average of 21.10. The Sydney-born cricketer also led Australia to two ICC titles and a drawn Ashes series that helped them retain the urn.
Pat Cummins joins a host of Australian legends to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
Pat Cummins joined Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Johnson, Steve Smith, and Michael Clarke to become the fifth Australian to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year.
Indian legend Rahul Dravid was the first winner in 2004, followed by all-rounders Jacques and Andrew Flintoff in 2005. Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting bagged the trophy the following two years (2006 and 2007).
Former left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson was the other Australian player to win the coveted prize twice (2009 and 2014). Batting stalwarts Michael Clarke and Steve Smith were victors of the award either side of Johnson in 2014.
After a seven-year drought, Cummins became the next Aussie to win the cherished trophy. Other than Ponting and Johnson, Indian star Virat Kohli is the only other cricketer to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy twice in 2017 and 2018.