India's Suryakumar Yadav named ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year after blockbuster 2022

After a blockbuster season in the shortest format of the game, Indian middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav was named the Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday. Suryakumar became the first Indian batter to score 1000 runs or more in a calendar year during the 2022 season. The Indian batter had also dethroned Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan by becoming the new No.1 batter in the ICC T20I rankings last year.

Capping off one of the best seasons by any international cricketer in the shortest format, Suryakumatr smashed 1164 runs in 31 matches at an average of 46.56. The Team India superstar also possessed an explosive strike rate of 187.43 during his remarkable 2022 season. Smashing a plethora of records in the 2022 season, Suryakumar ended the year as the highest run-getter. The white-ball maverick smoked 68 sixes in the 2022 season - the most by any T20I batter in a year.

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“It's a great feeling and 2022 has been amazing for me. From a personal point of you - I really enjoyed a few knocks I played that year. And If I had to pick one knock which I feel was special and very close to me, was my first hundred for my country. Because the first hundred is always special. Hopefully, many more knocks to come. Thank you,” Suryakumar told ICC after accepting the Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award.

The 32-year-old notched up two centuries, and the premier batter also smashed nine half-centuries in the previous season. The Indian batter was also a star turnout for Rohit Sharma-led Team India at the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The swashbuckling batter recorded three half-centuries in 6 innings at the showpiece event. Suryakumar batted at an impressive strike rate of 189.68 in the 2022 edition of the ICC World T20.

After a fruitful campaign at the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar extended his red-hot form and smashed a sensational century against New Zealand in the shortest format of the game. Scoring a career-high 890 rating points, Suryakumar was crowned as the top-ranked batter in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings after the T20 World Cup.

Suryakumar has slammed three centuries and 13 half-centuries in his T20I career. The Mumbai Indians (MI) superstar has amassed 1578 runs in 45 T20Is for Team India. Suryakumar made his T20I debut against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in 2021.