Firepower aplenty in ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year for 2023
The ICC Team of the Year recognises 11 outstanding individuals who have impressed throughout 2023, be it with the bat, the ball or their all-round exploits across the calendar year.
We take a look at who made the cut for their work in T20I cricket.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)
Having exhibited his skills in Test whites, Yashasvi Jaiswal then brought his domestic white-ball form to the international stage, debuting against the West Indies in August and making 430 runs in 14 knocks at a strike rate of 159.
After a blip on debut Jaiswal hit back with a 51-ball 84* in Florida, before moving his attention to the Asian Games, making an even 100 off just 49 balls against Nepal.
The young left-hander then made a 25-ball 53 against Australia in their home T20I series late in the year, before finishing with a knock of 60 from 41 balls against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Phil Salt (England)
England’s opener made a late run to the team of 2023, imposing himself against the West Indies in December, making back-to-back hundreds three days apart.
Salt finished with 394 runs in just eight innings over the year, averaging 56.28 and striking at 169.09. Salt had just one score below 25, and started the year with knocks of 38 (35) and 25 (19) against Bangladesh.
The right-hander was included on England’s tour of the Caribbean, hitting 331 runs in the five match T20I series, 170 runs better than the next best on the tally list.
He began with scores of 40 (20) and 25 (23), before unleashing with 109* (56) and 119 (57) in St.George’s and Tarouba respectively.
A final flurry of 38 (22) capped off a stunning finish to the year, and a tally of 31 fours and 24 sixes.
Nicholas Pooran (wk) (West Indies)
A consistent performer with the bat, Nicholas Pooran only failed to reach double figures three times in 13 innings, making 384 runs at a strike rate approaching 163.
Pooran’s 41 from just 19 balls against South Africa in Johannesburg kickstarted a West Indies innings of 220/8 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg against the Proteas, an important knock in a seven-run win. Back-to-back knocks of 41 (34) and 67 (40) against India followed, ending the five-match T20I series with a knock of 47 (35) balls in the final match.
Pooran ended his year with the home series against England, making 82 (45) and 39 (15) in matches four and five of the series won by the Men in Maroon.
Suryakumar Yadav (c) (India)
In the side for a second straight year and in the running for T20I Men’s Cricketer of the Year, Suryakumar Yadav proved class in permanent with a solid 2023.
Yadav’s first innings of just seven to start the year against Sri Lanka was a mere speed bump in another prolific year, making scores of 51 (36) and 112* (51) in the next two matches. Consistent scoring in 20s to 40s continued, before an innings of 83 (44) against the West Indies in Providence proved his class. He ended the series against the West Indies with a knock of 61 (45) in Florida.
Yadav also took the captaincy with Rohit Sharma taking a break in the backend of the year.
Suryakumar made half-centuries against Australia (80 off 42 balls) and South Africa (56 from 36 balls), before posting an even 100 against the Proteas off just 56 balls in their final T20I of the year in Johannesburg.
Mark Chapman (New Zealand)
Leading the Black Caps in T20I runs in 2023, making 576 at 44.30 and with a strike rate of 141.87 Chapman also made hay in tough situations batting at No.4 and No.5.
Chapman kicked into gear on New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan. The left-hander made 290 runs in five matches to claim Player of the Series accolades in the shared 2-2 series, making an unbeaten hundred to win the final match.
Chapman backed up the efforts with two half-centuries against the UAE in Dubai, also making headlines with a 40* effort from just 25 balls in a successful chase against England in Nottingham later in the year.
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
It was another staggering year for Sikandar Raza, going back-to-back after also sliding in at No.6 in the 2022 team.
In 2023, Raza was brilliant irrespective of Zimbabwe falling short of T20 World Cup qualification.
The all-rounder was consistent with bat in hand across the year making at least 20 in nine of his 11 innings across the year. He began with two fifties in his first three T20 innings of his year, making 82* (35) and 52 (36) against Namibia away from home. During the series, Raza also claimed 4/24 (4) in the final match of the series.
Attention turned to the Africa Qualifier, where Raza shone in spite of Zimbabwe’s plight at the tournament. His lowest score came making 48 (39) in a defeat to Uganda, passing the half-century mark in his other three knocks, most notably a score of 82 (48).
Raza also claimed multiple wickets in all but one of the Africa Qualifier matches, also claiming 3/28 (4) in a meeting with Ireland in their bilateral series meeting at the end of the year.
Alpesh Ramjani (Uganda)
It was a stunning year for Ugandan cricket, topped off with qualification for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, with Ramjani’s work with ball and bat pivotal in their 2023 push.
Ramjani led the world in T20I wickets for the year (55 at an economy of just 4.77) across 30 matches, and was a thorn in the side for opposition bowling attacks, scoring 449 runs at 28.06 (strike rate 132) down the order.
Ramjani was a nightmare for batters with his left-arm orthodox, striking every 11 balls, only going wicketless on four occasions across the year.
Deployed in different positions in the order across the year. His knock of 40 from 26 against Zimbabwe at the Qualifier was the most crucial of his and arguably Uganda’s year, leading to shock victory on their path to T20 World Cup Qualification.
Mark Adair (Ireland)
Ireland’s bowling all-rounder made his mark in 2023, taking 26 wickets at an economy of 7.42, taking a wicket every 13 deliveries.
Adair picked up a wicket in his first 11 outings of the year, a stretch that included Ireland’s successful qualification for the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean for 2024. He claimed 12 wickets in the European Regional Qualifier to add to multiple-wicket hauls against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh across the year.
To add to his credentials with the ball, Adair also struck 161 runs at a strike rate of 133, including a knock of 72 (36) against rivals Scotland at the Regional Qualifier.
Ireland pacer Mark Adair struck four times against Sri Lanka at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023
Ravi Bishnoi (India)
Taking 18 wickets in just 44 overs across the year, Ravi Bishnoi made a climb to No.1 on the ICC T20 Bowling Rankings when the year ended, helped by a fruitful home series against Australia across November and December.
Earlier, Bishnoi travelled on India’s tour of Ireland, taking four wickets across two matches, before being picked in the Asian Games squad to compete in Hangzhou, taking five wickets, including 3/24 against Nepal.
Bishno then claimed a wicket in every match against the Aussies, with back-to-back spells of 3/32 and 2/32 hammering his name into the team.
Richard Ngarava (Zimbabwe)
Troubling many a batter with his pace and bounce, six-foot-four left-armer Richard Ngarava was a nightmare prospect in 2023.
Finishing with 26 wickets in 15 matches, Ngarava only conceded 5.63 runs per over, taking a wicket every 12.1 deliveries.
Ngarava began the year with figures of 2/20 (3) against Ireland on home Harare soil, before taking 1/32 two days later against the same opponent.
Attention moved to the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, where Ngarava claimed a wicket in every match. He went on to top the tournament tally, claiming 13 wickets at 8.23.
Ngarava finished the year with five wickets in three home matches when Ireland visited again in December.
Arshdeep Singh (India)
Having made an impression in 2022 at the T20 World Cup, Arshdeep Singh continued to excel in 2023, taking 26 wickets in 21 appearances for India.
A spell of 3/20 against Sri Lanka in Rajkot jumped his year into life, with a pair of two-wicket hauls against New Zealand ticking things along across January and February.
Arshdeep returned to the team in August for the tour of the USA and the Caribbean with a performance of 3/38 (4) in Lauderhill against the West Indies highlighting another solid trip, before four wickets in Hangzhou for the Asian Games in October.