Rizwan and Beaumont take ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year titles

By Sports Desk January 23, 2022

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan has been named the men's ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year, while England's Tammy Beaumont has won the women's award.

Rizwan accumulated an impressive 1,326 runs across 29 games in 2021, at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89.

The wicketkeeper-batsman also excelled behind the stumps as Pakistan made it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.

Rizwan is currently third in the ICC's T20I batting rankings behind England's Dawid Malan and fellow Pakistan opener Babar Azam but was awarded the top men's prize on Sunday following a year in which he scored the maiden T20I century of his career against South Africa in Lahore, as well as a classy innings of 87 against West Indies in Karachi.

His standout performance of 2021 was undoubtedly his partnership of 152 with Babar as Pakistan beat rivals India by 10 wickets at the T20 World Cup in Dubai. Rizwan hit a spectacular 79 not out from 55 deliveries, hitting six fours and three sixes.

Beaumont takes the women's Cricketer of the Year award after scoring 303 runs in nine matches at an average of 33.66.

She was England's highest scorer in T20Is in 2021, and third-highest overall in the world.

She top-scored and was named Player of the Series on the tour of New Zealand, hitting 102 from three innings, including 63 from 53 balls in the second game to help England to victory.

Beaumont performed just as well against the same opposition later in the year, again managing the most runs on home soil in the series with 113, including 97 in the first encounter.

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