Smriti Mandhana and Suryakumar Yadav nominated for ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year

In a record-shattering year for both, Smriti Mandhana and Suryakumar Yadav were nominated for the T20 Cricketer of the Year by the International Cricket Council in their respective categories. Suryakumar Yadav will be up against Mohammad Rizwan, Sam Curran and Sikandar Raza for the award, while Smriti Mandhana will have to brave the likes of Pakistan all-rounder Nida Darr, New Zealand all-rounder, Sophie Devine and Australian all-rounder, Tahlia Mcgrath.

Suryakumar Yadav had a dream run in 2022 where he lit up the shortest format of the game with an exotic brand of cricket, smoking the finest of the sport to the ropes with extreme prejudice. Surya finished the year with 1164 runs at an average slightly north of 46 at a staggering strike rate of 187.43. His tally of 68 sixes in the calendar year is the highest that anyone has ever recorded in the format by a fair mile. With two centuries and nine half-centuries, SKY was the standout T20 batter of the year.

Smriti Mandhana herself hammered 594 runs from 23 games in 2022. She rattled the record of the fastest half-century in T20Is by an Indian, bringing it up in just 23 balls while also bringing up the hallowed 2500-run mark in T20Is, making 2022 a year to remember. Mandhana left a trail of carnage in her wake in the Commonwealth Games, T20 World Cup and also in the recently concluded bilateral series against Australia with a showdown for the ages in the second T20I against the latter.

Only time will reveal whether the Indian duo will have the last laugh or not, given the stiff competition that they are up against but India did reap handsome dividends from both, especially in a year that featured a World Cup for both men and women.