Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Selection Panel on Wednesday announced the West Indies squad for the upcoming International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup.
The panel confirmed the fifteen (15) players who will represent the West Indies in the eighth ICC T20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia from October 16 to November 13.
The West Indies are the only team to have won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup twice, in Sri Lanka in 2012 and in India in 2016. The West Indies campaign to win an unprecedented third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title starts on October 17, when they take on Scotland in first of three Group B fixtures played at the Bellerive Oval, in Hobart, Tasmania to qualify for the Super 12 phase of the tournament. Nicholas Pooran leads the West Indies in his first World Cup as captain, with Rovman Powell as vice-captain.
Left-hand opening batter Evin Lewis has been recalled for the first time since the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. Two uncapped players have been selected; right-arm leg-spinner allrounder Yannic Cariah and left-arm batting allrounder Raymon Reifer.
The Most Honourable Dr. Desmond Haynes, CWI’s Lead Selector said: “We have selected a mixture of youth and experience to represent the West Indies. In the selection process, we have been cognizant of the ongoing CPL and we have been looking at the players who have been playing very well. I said at the beginning of my tenure that I would be interested in giving players the opportunity and I think I have been consistent in doing that. I believe it is a very good team we have selected, and it is a team that will compete, given that we have to qualify from Round 1 into the Super12s.”
Dr. Haynes added: “ There are players who did not make the team and I hope they will continue to work hard and perform to their best in the CPL and the upcoming CG United Super50 Cup; because you never know what can happen in case of injuries or any other unforeseen situations where we might need to call up players as replacements.”
West Indies will face Zimbabwe on October 19 and then Ireland on October 21 with the top two teams from Group B joining the Super 12s, along with the top two teams from Group A which features Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Namibia. The top two teams from each Super12 group will advance to the semi-finals on November 9 and 10.
Before the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the West Indies will meet home team Australia in a two-match bilateral T20 International (T20I) series on October 5 at the Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast and on October 7 at the historical Gabba, in Brisbane.
FULL SQUAD
Ben Stokes has maintained that he and Alex Hales share the objective "to win the World Cup" after the Nottinghamshire batter was recalled to the England squad ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Hales has not played for England in three years since being taken out of the squad for the ODI World Cup in 2019 for failing a recreational drug test, and was not named in the initial squad for the upcoming T20 edition.
But a freak injury to Jonny Bairstow while playing golf last week has led to Hales being recalled for the tournament, as well as the squad for the T20 tour of Pakistan, which starts later this month.
Stokes' relationship with Hales is said to have declined after both were involved in a brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017
But England Test captain Stokes acknowledged the quality Hales brings to the team.
"Alex is definitely one of the best T20 players in the world and unfortunately with what happened with Jonny we had to call another player up," Stokes told reporters.
"Alex is definitely one of the guys that bowlers don’t want to be bowling at in the T20 format."
However, Stokes was quiet when asked about their current relationship, adding: "My goal, Alex’s goal and everyone else’s goal who is part of that squad is to win the World Cup."
Alex Hales has earned a recall for England's T20 World Cup squad, three years after his last international appearance.
The explosive batsman was dropped from England's Cricket World Cup-winning squad in 2019 after testing positive for recreational drugs prior to the tournament.
Then white-ball captain Eoin Morgan cited a "complete breakdown in trust" for Hales' continued exile.
However, Jonny Bairstow will miss the tournament in Australia having suffered a "freak" injury while playing golf, and Jason Roy remains badly out of form.
Those events have led to a surprise return for 33-year-old Hales, who will also be part of England's touring party for the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan, which starts on September 20. His last appearance was in a T20I fixture against West Indies in March 2019.
An ECB statement read: "Nottinghamshire batter Alex Hales has been called up to England's ICC Men's T20 World Cup squad as a replacement for Yorkshire's Jonathan Bairstow after a left-ankle injury sustained last week ended his chances of playing in the tournament.
"Hales, 33, who last represented England in March 2019, has also been added to the IT20 squad for the tour of Pakistan."
Speaking to Sky Sports on Tuesday, Morgan said of Hales: "There's one thing about Alex, his quality has never been a question.
"It's whether the team would like him in the side, or captains can trust him, or the coach, or the selectors.
"[England's men's managing director] Rob Key said he is available for selection, so that means he goes into a pool of players with the likes of Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Will Smeed, that sort of calibre of player.
"But there's no doubt he's extremely destructive and a match-winner."
England will be without Jonny Bairstow for the Twenty20 World Cup after the batsman suffered a freak injury while playing golf.
Bairstow has been in stunning form for England in 2022 and was named in their T20 World Cup squad on Friday.
Yet he will now miss the series-deciding Test against South Africa and the tournament in Australia after sustaining what the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) described as a "lower limb injury".
England's statement confirmed Bairstow had suffered the injury while playing golf in Leeds on Friday, in what they labelled "a freak accident".
Bairstow will see a specialist next week but was immediately ruled out of action for the foreseeable future.
Ben Duckett has been called up in his place for the Test match against South Africa, while England will name a replacement in their World Cup squad in due course.
Bairstow has been England's standout performer this year, scoring 1,344 runs across all formats, hitting five Test centuries in the process.
Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have been passed fit to make England's squad for the T20 World Cup, which includes Test captain Ben Stokes.
Woakes had previously been a doubt for the October-November tournament due to knee surgery, while Wood required an operation on his elbow.
But both men have made Jos Buttler's 15-man group for the World Cup and the prior three-match tour of Australia.
Woakes and Wood were also included in a larger travelling party for the September tour of Pakistan, which was also confirmed on Friday.
Chris Jordan and Liam Livingstone, who have respective finger and ankle injuries, will skip that series as they have been granted more time to recuperate, but both are still on course to feature at the World Cup.
Stokes – still engaged in a Test series against South Africa – also will not face Pakistan but will make the World Cup, returning to Twenty20 International cricket for the first time since March 2021.
Since then, Stokes has taken a break from cricket to look after his mental health, returned as Test skipper and retired from ODIs to help manage his workload.
The plan was always for Stokes to still feature at this year's T20 World Cup, and he is indeed involved.
Limited-overs captain Buttler is another whose fitness will be assessed carefully, however, with a calf problem meaning Moeen Ali will deputise as skipper for the start of the Pakistan series.
The squad for that tour includes five new faces in Jordan Cox, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Olly Stone and Luke Wood.
England squad for T20 World Cup and Australia series:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
Travelling reserves:
Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Tymal Mills (Sussex).
England squad for Pakistan series:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jordan Cox (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Luke Wood (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham).
Trent Boult hopes he has not played his last Test match for New Zealand but acknowledged his central contract withdrawal will affect selection decisions.
The left-arm quick made the bold choice to step away from his central contract with the Black Caps earlier in August, allowing him more time to focus on family life and franchise cricket.
Boult and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) agreed on a mutual termination of his contract, with the 33-year-old looking to move away from the rigorous international cricket schedule.
New Zealand will miss his wicket-taking ability should they not select Boult, with only Richard Hadlee (431 wickets), Daniel Vettori (361) and Tim Southee (347) managing more than his 317 Test dismissals.
The Black Caps head for a two-Test series against Pakistan in December 2022 before two more fixtures in the longest format against England in February 2023, and Boult hopes to feature despite his decision.
"I hope not," Boult said when asked if the Test he played against England in June could be his last. "I'm fully aware that with the decision I made to give that contract back, it's going to affect that selection.
"I'm taking it almost week by week really. There's a lot of cricket to be played before then. I know the next series is in Pakistan and then at my home ground [Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui] against England in the new year, but it's too far away to tell.
"I'm going to leave that with New Zealand Cricket and respect their decision."
Boult has retained his ODI place for the upcoming three-match series against Australia, while he has made his intentions clear to feature at the T20 World Cup in October.
"I remember talking to Kane [Williamson] after 2019 at Lord's [where New Zealand lost to England in the final] and saying we want to be there in four years' time," he added.
"It's only a few months around the corner and there's a lot of hunger to try to have another crack at that trophy."
While Boult remains hopeful of keeping his place in the international setup, he reiterated the decision to reduce his workload was due to wanting more time with his family.
"Without getting too financially specific, I'd be more able to bring them on tour [when playing T20 leagues]," he continued.
"I've got three young boys that only see dad for eight weeks a year at the moment. If I don't play any international cricket, obviously I still want to, then that might be a couple of leagues a year and 10 months at home rather than the other way around.
"I'm not getting too far ahead – it's a hard one to forecast at the moment."
Former England batter Jonathan Trott has replaced Graham Thorpe as Afghanistan head coach.
Thorpe took the role with Afghanistan in March, just two months after being dismissed from his job as an assistant coach with England following another Ashes thrashing against Australia.
The 52-year-old fell seriously ill only two months after his appointment, with Raees Khan operating on an interim basis.
But the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) have made a permanent appointment by offering Trott his first senior head coach role on Friday.
"I'm honoured and excited to have the opportunity to take one of international cricket's most exciting teams through what is a huge year for their development as a team," he said in an ACB statement.
"I can't wait to get to work with a group of players who are clearly capable of generating results in a style that will make the people of Afghanistan proud."
Trott will begin his tenure with the five-match T20I series in Ireland in August before the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the second T20 World Cup in as many years in Australia between October and November.
The 41-year-old has previous experience working alongside Mark Robinson as Warwickshire's assistant coach, before being a batting coach with England, England Lions and Scotland.
Former middle-order batter Trott has also worked with Trent Rockets in England's domestic competition The Hundred and operated as part of Kent's backroom staff.
During his playing career, Trott appeared in 52 Tests for England and scored 3,835 runs at an average of 44.1, including nine centuries and a high score of 226.
He also played in 68 ODIs, amassing 2,819 runs at an average of 51.3 with four hundreds and 22 half-centuries, and made seven appearances in T20Is.
England pace bowler Mark Wood will undergo a second operation on an elbow injury as he bids to recover in time for the T20 World Cup later this year.
Wood underwent surgery on his right elbow in March after sustaining the injury during the first Test of the red-ball side's tour of the West Indies.
It was originally hoped the 32-year-old would return within three months, but he was taken out of consideration for Durham's Vitality Blast game against Notts Outlaws on July 1 before suffering an adverse reaction after featuring for home club Ashington on Saturday.
Speaking to the BBC's Test Match Special, Wood expressed his frustration at the injury, which comes as another blow to England with Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Saqib Mahmood, Ollie Robinson and Matt Fisher also sidelined.
"It's not going well actually," Wood said. "I'm off again for probably more surgery on Saturday.
"I played a club game to see what it was like when I tested it out, so unfortunately it's not pulled up well.
"To be ready for the World Cup, I'm going to have to get that done.
"I've been bowling for the last two or three weeks in the nets, top speed also off my full run-up. But it just seems to keep deteriorating.
"When I played that club game it was an indication in a match of how does it actually feel. The next day… I can straighten my left arm fully, but my right arm is still sort of bent a little bit.
"It's crunch week this week. That's why I've been building it up so much. But this week it needed a decision, so that's why I played the club cricket.
"Unfortunately it hasn't been good. The frustration for me is I've done everything everyone has asked. It's just not giving me a break."
Wood has taken 26 wickets in 19 T20I outings since making his England debut in 2015, with his last appearance in the format coming against New Zealand last November in their T20 World Cup semi-final defeat.
England's next T20 World Cup campaign begins against Afghanistan on October 22 in Perth.
Reece Topley viewed his injury struggles and retirement fears as "worthwhile" after boosting his white-ball credentials with England's best ever ODI figures.
England avenged a 10-wicket defeat to India in the opening ODI at The Oval with a resounding 100-run victory at Lord's, teeing up a series decider at Old Trafford.
Jos Buttler's side only managed 247 all out but Topley soon made sure of a one-sided contest, claiming the two early scalps of captain Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.
The left-arm quick then bowled Suryakumar Yadav and had Mohamed Shami caught behind before wrapping up his five-for by removing Yuzvendra Chahal.
Fittingly, Topley capped a fine individual performance by sealing victory as he dismissed Prasidh Krishna, finishing with figures of 6-24.
That marked the best figures by a men's player in ODIs for England, surpassing the previous benchmark set by Paul Collingwood in 2005 against Bangladesh when he took 6-31.
Topley's six-wicket haul was achieved a stone's throw away from where he underwent surgery to overcome stress fractures that almost called an end to his playing career.
"It was a terrific team performance and I'm just happy to have played my part," Topley told Sky Sports as he was presented with the Player of the Match award.
"It means a lot and makes it all worthwhile. It was just over the stand where I had surgery three years ago, so it's come full circle, which is crazy.
"It's everyone's dream to play for England and I just want to pull on the shirt as often as possible and play my part in winning games for England."
Topley continues to boost his hopes of featuring in the T20 World Cup in Australia in November, having impressed in the three-match series against India earlier this month.
The 28-year-old was the only bowler on either side to finish with an economy rate below 7.5 as the runs flowed in the final T20I at Trent Bridge, owing to his relentless knack of hitting the right area.
Former England captain and TV pundit Nasser Hussain finds it hard to see another bowler displacing Topley in England's first-choice limited-overs XI.
"It's an outstanding story, the way he's gone through the ups and downs, the stress fractures," Hussain said.
"He's bowled well in white-ball cricket of late and as well in that T20 game at Trent Bridge when everyone else was going around the park.
"It's his place now and when you get figures like that, with so many big games coming up and England are looking at bowlers with a long list of injuries... if some bowler can stand up and continue to put in performance after performance then you're almost saying 'you can't leave me out'."
England limited-overs coach Matthew Mott admitted his side must be "braver" for the T20 World Cup after being caught by surprise by the aggressive intent of India.
India cruised to a pair of comfortable victories in their first two T20I meetings with England, securing an unassailable 2-0 series lead before Sunday's final clash at Trent Bridge.
Mott revealed new England captain Jos Buttler, who replaced Eoin Morgan before the series, called on his side to be more aggressive in the outing at Nottingham with nothing to lose.
England duly delivered by posting 215-7 – their highest ever T20I score against India – as they picked up the first win since Morgan's international retirement.
A World Cup in the shortest format is to follow in Australia later in the year after T20I series against South Africa and Pakistan, and Mott implored his team to play with more freedom.
"We learned a lot of lessons in the first two games," Mott said. "India obviously came out with a really attacking mindset and put us under pressure a lot. We expected that, but the ferocity of it took us by surprise a little bit.
"After the second loss and the series loss, I thought he [Buttler] spoke exceptionally well in the group about these being the times where you learn about character.
"It's easy when you're dominating teams but we're going to learn more about ourselves playing great teams like India and South Africa leading into a World Cup – we're going to learn more about what we need in Australia when we're put under pressure.
"We talked about just being a bit braver. If anything, we could have been accused of being a bit timid with the bat. [On Sunday] we just went out there and thought, 'it's a great wicket, let's put a score out there and hang on.'
"We don't like losing but I think there is plenty that we've taken out of this series already and it sets us up well for the summer."
Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, two Test stars, are expected to return to the limited-overs side and will likely slot in at number three and four respectively.
But Dawid Malan scored an important 77 off 39 balls in the third match against India, staking his claim for the number three position, while Reece Topley also impressed with the ball as he took 3-22.
Fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer may miss the World Cup due to injuries, and Mott admitted competition for places is wide open.
"It was an unbelievable experience for some of those bowlers," he said. "Topley was magnificent and [Richard] Gleeson has been a real find for us.
"All the intel that I've had is that it's definitely been an area that we're looking to improve, so to be under that sort of pressure and hold our nerve gives us a lot of confidence.
"I don't think [the World Cup squad] is all locked in yet. This far out, you've got so many things that could happen – whether it's injuries or form, or whatever.
"We've got a fair idea of what we think the right make-up is, but you want players to come in and perform and really warrant that spot.
"It's still open for a lot of players and that's why we are having looks at different combinations and trying to learn."
Eoin Morgan says he knew the time was right to step away from international cricket after the England white-ball captain confirmed his international retirement.
Morgan announced he would be quitting the side on Tuesday, leaving England needing to appoint a new skipper less than four months before the start of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
He skippered England to their first Cricket World Cup title on home soil in 2019, but has struggled for form as of late, with a pair of ducks in their three-match series against the Netherlands earlier this month.
The Dublin-born batter took the armband in late 2014, but admitted the time is now for him to leave his role, with his struggles against the Dutch the final push needed for him to make the call.
"I've been open and honest about when the time would come, over the last three years," Morgan told Sky Sports. "I've engaged a lot with ex-players about when they stopped, how it came about.
"Each person said there's a time and a place when it hits you, or that you wake up and you know, and that moment came for me in Amsterdam.
"I think it's a culmination of a lot of things that over the course of my international career, which has been a long time, I've just come to the end.
"I'm glad I was in a sound enough space to understand that feeling and be aware of what it meant, and also what it means both for the England white-ball side and me in my personal life.
"The day it hit me was quite a sad day, reaching the end of such a special journey. But since that day I've been incredibly proud, content with the decision and excited for English cricket going forward.
Morgan had previously spoken to new England Test coach Brendon McCullum about retirement before, and explained that advice reinforced his decision.
"Baz is one of my close mates," he added. "I've spoke to him about retirement for a long time, and particularly around his, and the transition for him, and he said 'you will know, there'll be a feeling that hits you, just recognise it when it comes'."
Asked if he would like to stay involved in the England set-up, the 35-year-old said: "I think at the moment the best thing is for me to come out of it, let the new captain find his feet, build a relationship with the new coach and ultimately drive towards the next World Cup.
"They come thick and fast, and the potential the team has is unbelievable. I'm excited to sit back and watch, I'm lucky to be a part of such a special time, but I think what's to come might be even more special."
Jos Buttler is tipped to succeed Morgan as captain, with new white-ball coach Matthew Mott previously appointed in May.
Eoin Morgan says he will step aside as England white-ball captain when he feels he is no longer contributing, while he hailed Jos Buttler as "probably the best in the world".
Morgan has overseen a period of transformative change with England in limited-overs cricket since his appointment as captain in 2014.
The 35-year-old guided England to a dramatic Cricket World Cup win in the 50-over game in 2019, three years after taking his side to the T20 World Cup final.
He followed that up with another semi-final appearance at the T20 World Cup in 2021, where England were defeated by New Zealand.
England have become the dominant force in white-ball internationals, with Australian Matthew Mott taking over as the limited-overs coach ahead of the three-match ODI series against Netherlands.
Morgan will lead a much-changed side to Netherlands, with the Test series against New Zealand ongoing, before facing India and South Africa in three-match series' in both T20I and ODI cricket.
The middle-order batter has somewhat struggled for form and been hampered by injuries, though, and he admitted he will step down if he believes he can no longer deliver.
"I would love to say I am finishing here or there and that's it. I would love to work like that but the way my body is at the moment, I can't work like that," Morgan told Sky Sports.
"If I injured myself tomorrow and it was going to be quite a prolonged injury then I wouldn't be doing the team and myself any favours if I still held a commitment to finish at a certain point.
"If I don't think I am good enough or I don't feel I am contributing to the team, then I will finish.
"That's just the way I am and I hope that rubs off onto the team. Your leader doesn't have to be selfless, they can be whoever he or she wants to be, but I feel this is a better way of doing things.
"Since taking the captaincy [any lack of form] has not been a huge issue for me, simply because I know if I am not good enough to score runs or contribute then I will drop myself.
"I know I will come back into form at some stage. The cycle throughout my career has been a complete rollercoaster, so it's nothing strange."
Luke Wood and David Payne are the new faces in England's squad ahead of June's tour of Netherlands, which starts on Friday.
But there will be familiar names among the ranks, with Moeen Ali, Buttler and Liam Livingstone all part of the 14-man touring party.
Morgan picked out Buttler – who enjoyed a phenomenal Indian Premier League stint with Rajasthan Royals, scoring 863 runs to win the Orange Cap – and Moeen for special praise.
"Jos is one of the best in the world. Right here and now, he probably is the best in the world," he added.
"He enjoys that with where he is in his career, it sits well with him. The big thing you notice about how he plays is that everything he does is revolved around winning the game.
"When you are a little bit younger all you are trying to do is impact the game. The older you get it is about getting your side over the line.
"Rajasthan were heavily dependent on his runs and he took on that responsibility while also being able to take risks.
"Moeen has been incredible. He is unbelievably respected on and off the field and has given so much of himself in our changing room. He is always himself, never tries to be anyone else.
"He has the ability to break the ice but also take things seriously when needed and obviously the role he plays in the community he is from is huge.
"He embraces being that role model and I hugely admire him for that."
Shaheen Afridi and Joe Root have been named the ICC men's Player of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021.
Pakistan fast bowler Afridi took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20, including a career-best of 6-51 against West Indies in August.
It was during Pakistan's run to the semi-finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup that the 21-year-old particularly impressed, taking seven wickets in six matches.
Mohammad Rizwan, England captain Root and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson were also nominated for the prestigious award.
While Root missed out on that accolade, he was voted the top Test cricketer for 2021.
Root scored 1,708 runs in 15 matches, including two double centuries and a further four tons, in what was otherwise a disappointing year for England.
Only Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf (1,788 in 2006) and West Indies legend Viv Richards (1,710 in 1976) have scored more in a single calendar year.
The 31-year-old saw off competition from New Zealand bowler Kyle Jamieson, Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne and India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
"I am incredibly proud to receive this award," Root said.
"I am very humbled to be in the same breath as a number of wonderful players around the world and it means a huge amount to have got this award."
Root scored more than three times as many runs as any of his team-mates last year, with Rory Burns (530) and Jonny Bairstow (391) next on the list.
He is only the second Englishman to claim the accolade after Alastair Cook in 2011.
The award had been won by an Australian player on five of the last seven occasions it has been handed out, with Pat Cummins the most recent winner in 2019.
Elsewhere, Afridi's team-mate Babar Azam was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year on Monday after scoring 405 runs in six games at an average of 67.50.
And fellow Pakistan star Rizwan was crowned men's T20I Cricketer of the Year on Sunday, with England's Tammy Beaumont claiming the women's equivalent.
Rizwan, Babar and Afridi were also included in the ICC T20I Team of 2021, alongside the likes of Jos Butler, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood.
ICC Teams of the Year
Men's T20I Team of 2021: Jos Butler (ENG), Mohammad Rizwan (PAK, WK), Babar Azam (PAK, C), Aiden Markram (SA), Mitchell Marsh (AUS), David Miller (SA), Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Tabraiz Shamsi (SA), Josh Hazlewood (AUS), Mustafizur Rahman (BANG), Shaheen Afridi (PAK).
Men's ODI Team of 2021: Paul Stirling (IRE), Janneman Malan (SA), Babar Azam (PAK, C), Fakhar Zaman (PAK), Rassie van der Dussen (SA), Shakib Al-Hasan (BANG), Mushfiqur Rahim (BANG, WK), Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Mustafizur Rahman (BANG), Simi Singh (IRE), Dushmantha Chameera (SL)
Men's Test Team of 2021: Dimuth Karunaratne (SL), Rohit Sharma (India), Marnus Labuschagne (AUS), Joe Root (ENG), Kane Williamson (NZ), Fawad Alam (PAK), Rishabh Pant (IND, WK), Ravichandran Ashwin (IND), Kyle Jamison (NZ), Hasan Ali (PAK), Shaheen Afridi (PAK).
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.
T20 World Cup holders Australia will face 2021 finalists New Zealand in the Super 12s stage of this year's tournament.
Australia triumphed over their trans-Tasman rivals by eight wickets in the final of last year's competition in the United Arab Emirates to clinch the T20 World Cup for the first time.
Aaron Finch's team will look to defend their title on home soil later this year, with the World Cup running from October 16 to November 13.
Sri Lanka, champions in 2014, start the preliminary round – which also includes 2016 winners West Indies – against Namibia, with the Super 12s starting on October 22.
The first fixture will be a repeat of last year's final, with New Zealand taking on Australia in Sydney.
England, who lost to New Zealand in the 2021 semi-finals, and Afghanistan are also in the same group.
India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh will face off in Group 2.
Pakistan and India go head-to-head in Melbourne on October 23.
The semi-finals will take place on November 9 and 10.
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