Kohli, Rohit, Stokes, Cummins and others react after clinching the ICC Awards

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced their awards for the year 2019 on Wednesday. From Rohit Sharma to Marnus Labuschagne, cricketers who exhibited exemplary performances were rewarded by the ICC.

Indian opener Rohit Sharma started the proceedings with the One-Day International (ODI) player of the year. He was the leading run-scorer (1490) in 2019. The right-handed batsman reacted to the news and said it feels great when your performance is recognized.

“I would like to thank the ICC for giving me this award and the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to represent the country. It is great to be recognized in this fashion. We are very happy with the way we performed as a team in 2019. We could have done better, but again we would take a lot of positives from 2019, and we wish to continue the same way in 2020.”

Australian pacer Pat Cummins got the Test player of the year award for his tremendous run in the last year. Cummins grabbed 59 wickets in 12 Test matches during the period and finished the year as the top-ranked bowler in the ICC Test Rankings. The right-armer said that retaining the Ashes was certainly the highlight of 2019.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be considered the best player of last year and one which was certainly unexpected. I owe much to my team, teammates, and all those involved in Australian cricket for what was a really successful year for the team. The highlight was certainly being able to retain the Ashes, which was a great reward for the hard work that went into that tour.”

Indian captain Virat Kohli won the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ award for his gesture to the crowd during a game in the 2019 World Cup. The 31-year-old explained the reason for backing Steven Smith in that match.

“Firstly, I’m surprised that I have got it, after many years of being under the scanner for the wrong things, but look it’s part of camaraderie that sportsmen must have with each other. That moment was purely understanding an individual’s situation. I don’t think a guy who is coming out of a situation like that needs to be taken advantage of.”

“I think you can sledge, can have banter on the field, you say things to the opposition in terms of wanting to beat them. But booing someone I don’t think is in the spirit of any sport, I don’t endorse it.”

“Also, that should not be a representation of our fans and what we stand as a cricketing nation and a sporting nation. I think we need to all take responsibility towards that. Intimidate the opposition, definitely try and have an upper hand but in a manner, which is not targeting someone emotionally. I don’t think that is acceptable at any level, and people should be more wary of that.”

England all-rounder Ben Stokes was rewarded with the ‘Sir Garfield Trophy’ for his outstanding performances throughout the year 2019. Stokes credited his team and support staff for whatever he achieved in the previous year.

“It is quite flattering to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year. The past 12 months have been incredible for England cricket, and to lift the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time was our greatest achievement.”

“This award is testament to my teammates and the support staff that have been there every step of the way. Fundamentally, without the support of these individuals, we would never achieve our objective of lifting a major trophy.

“There is an incredible bond between teammates and to savour our achievements, whether that’s winning the World Cup Final at Lord’s or digging deep to win a Test match against Australia at Headingly. It is satisfying you can accomplish these superb highs together.”

“The last 12 months have been the best in my career, and I believe what we attained will be the catalyst to achieve further success over the next few years.”

Australian middle-order batter Marnus Labuschagne, who topped the charts in the longest format of the game, was gratified for his emergence into cricket. He received the ‘Emerging Player’ award. The 25-year-old scored 1,104 runs in 11 Tests. He was at 110th spot in ICC Test Player rankings during the start of 2019, and by the end of the year, he finished at 4th position.

“It’s been exciting, it has been a great journey, and I am very humbled with this award. It has been a great summer, but the challenge is when you have a summer like that is to make sure you are backing it up and keep doing it. Being part of such a great team has been amazing, I have been very fortunate to be able to play in what is a great time for Australian cricket.”

India’s young sensation Deepak Chahar was credited with the ‘Men’s T20I Performance’ of the year. His 6/7 against Bangladesh in November 2019 was considered as the best performance in the shortest format by the ICC.

Chahar said his six-wicket haul for seven runs against Bangladesh in Nagpur, which included a hat-trick, would always be cherished by him.

“I am very happy to receive this award. I would like to thank the ICC for this award and to the BCCI for giving me a chance to represent my country. That performance was very special for me. I got an opportunity to play for India after a long time. Taking six wickets conceding, only seven runs was a dream performance for me and will always remain close to my heart.”

The top-order batsman from Scotland, Kyle Coetzer, won the ‘Associate Cricketer of the Year’ award. He led Scotland to the T20 World Cup qualification and averaged 48-plus in ODIs throughout 2019. Coetzer was in shock when he heard this news.

“It is a huge honour to have won the award. It was a huge shock, I certainly did not expect it, which makes it even more special. A big shout out needs to go to everyone who supported me throughout in 2019 – my family, my friends, all Cricket Scotland supporters who have come out through thick and thin, usually in some poor weather to be honest, everyone in the Cricket Scotland office as well as the backroom staff. A very special mention needs to go out to the players who support me on the field every day.”

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CATEGORY: Australia Ben Stokes Deepak Chahar England ICC India Marnus Labuschagne ODI Pat Cummins Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli

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