5 contenders for the 2017 ODI Player of the Year Award
The ICC ODI Player of the Year Award is one of most prestigious awards in cricket. The ICC introduced it in 2004, and Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers, Kumar Sangakkara, and Ricky Ponting are among the elite set of players to have received it in the past.
2017 has been a spectacular year for cricket so far, and there have been some truly brilliant performances by bowlers and batsmen alike.
Australia, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies have had challenging years, while India and Pakistan have breezed through. India is currently ranked No. 2 in ODIs, and Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
Let's take a look at the five possible candidates for the ODI Player of the Year Award 2017.
#5 Joe Root
England's Test captain has been a consistent performer in ODIs ever since he made his debut against India in 2012. He comes in at No. 3 for England, and is a key player to their new ODI setup. He is the second highest run-scorer in 2017 with 983 runs, an average of 70.21, and a strike rate of 92.12.
Root is one of the most technically gifted players in world cricket. Only four times in 2017 has he been dismissed for less than 30 runs, and that speaks of his consistency in the limited overs format.
Part of an aggressive batting line-up comprising of Hales, Buttler, Stokes, Roy, and Morgan, Root's composure provides much-needed stability for England's ODI team. He is the linchpin that holds England's batting side together.