ICC Awards (2021): Smriti Mandhana, Joe Root among winners
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named star Indian opener Smriti Mandhana the Women's Cricketer of the Year (2021). She clinched the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for her incredible run across formats. Meanwhile, Joe Root has bagged the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year (2021) Award. The English Test skipper smashed over 1,000 runs in the format last year. Here are further details.
A year to remember 🤩
— ICC (@ICC) January 24, 2022
Smriti Mandhana's quality at the top of the order was on full display in 2021 🏏
More on her exploits 👉 https://t.co/QI8Blxf0O5 pic.twitter.com/3jRjuzIxiT
Mandhana was phenomenal with the bat in 2021. She racked up 855 runs from 22 international matches at an average of 38.86. The tally includes one century and five half-centuries. Mandhana finished as the leading run-scorer in Test cricket. The 25-year-old also slammed her maiden century in the format. She topped the runs tally in T20I cricket among Indian women.
Mandhana slammed her maiden Test hundred in the Day/Night Test against Australia Women at the Carrara Oval, Queensland. She became the first Indian woman to register a hundred in pink-ball Test and Australia. She is also the first visiting player (non-English) to score a ton Down Under. Her 127 became the highest Test score by an overseas player on Australian soil (women's).
Mandhana was also named the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2018. She has become only the second player after Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry to win this award more than once. The latter received the prestigious title in 2017, 2019, and 2020, respectively.
Root stole the show despite England's poor run in Test cricket in 2021. He became the only English batter to have smashed over 1,700 Test runs in a calendar year. He was the leading run-scorer in the format in 2021, having scored 1,708 runs at an incredible average of 61.00. Root remained the only batter with over 1,000 Test runs in 2021.
Root has become only the third player in Test history to score over 1,700 runs in a calendar year. Only Mohammad Yousuf (1,788) and Sir Vivian Richards (1,710) have more. Root slammed six tons in 2021, the joint-most by an England player in a calendar year with Denis Compton and Michael Vaughan. His best Test score (228) in 2021 came against Sri Lanka (Galle).
Root slammed his fifth double-century in the first Test against India in Chennai (218). It was the highest individual score by an England captain in India. He struck the first double-century by a visiting batter in India since 2010.
