England’s young guns, Pakistan veterans and Indian and Aussie superstars all-rounders all represented.
Wisden released its annual five Cricketers of the Year: English trio Ben Duckett, Toby Roland-Jones and Chris Woakes as well as Pakistan veterans Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
The criteria for the Cricketers of the Year award revolve around performances in England – both in domestic and international cricket played in the country – and Wisden editor Lawrence Booth said he was compelled to include the Pakistani duo due to their impact on the northern summer.
“Misbah-ul-Haq was central to one of the most riveting series in England for years, a 2-2 draw that left fans longing for a decider,” Booth wrote.
“His century in the First Test at Lord’s set a benchmark for his teammates, while his celebratory press-ups became one of the motifs of the year.
“Against the odds, he led Pakistan, without a home Test since 2009, to the top of the rankings – and all at the age of 42.
“With the pressure on, Younis Khan delivered. His classy 218 in the final Test of the summer, at The Oval, helped Pakistan square the series after successive defeats had left them in danger of squandering their win at Lord’s.
“It was his 32nd Test hundred – and a reminder that his struggles earlier in the series had been a blip rather than part of a decline.”
Duckett, 22, led the runs-scorers in County Championship Division Two, making 1,338 runs for Northamptonshire to earn a Test call-up against Bangladesh last October.
Roland-Jones took 54 wickets to be the fifth-leading wicket-taker and play a key role in Middlesex’s title triumph.
Woakes took 41 wickets in 12 Tests for England, the right-arm quick snaring 11 in the series opener against Pakistan at Lord’s.
Besides, India’s Virat Kohli and Australia’s Ellyse Perry are named the 2016 Leading Cricketers in the World by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
Virat piled on three double-centuries as he led India undefeated through the year in Test series against West Indies, New Zealand and England, and also topped the runs-scorers charts in both the ICC World T20 and Indian Premier League tournaments.
Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars allrounder Perry made nine half-centuries in 13 ODI innings, averaging 81.33 with the bat, and took 20 wickets at 24.40.
