The Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year is an annual cricket award, presented to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English county cricket. The award has been presented since the 1950 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the Cricket Writers' Club. Only players that are qualified to represent the England cricket team, and are aged under 23 on 1 May of the awarding year, are eligible for the prize. With the exception of 1986, when a joint award was made, the accolade has been presented to one individual each season. The award has been described by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as "prestigious". [1] Although not a firm rule, once a player has won the award, they are considered ineligible to receive it in the future. [2]
Archie Ledbrooke, a sports reporter for the Daily Mirror and the first treasurer of the Cricket Writers' Club, came up with the idea for the award. It was first presented in 1950, when Roy Tattersall of Lancashire was the recipient. In 1986, the vote was tied, and the award was made jointly to Ashley Metcalfe of Nottinghamshire and James Whitaker of Leicestershire. The 1995 winner, Andrew Symonds, went on to make over 200 international appearances for Australia, but at the time of his award was eligible to play for England, as he was born in Birmingham. [3] As of 2021 [update] , representatives of seventeen of the eighteen first-class cricket counties have won the award; [4] no player from Worcestershire has ever won. Yorkshire players have collected the award most frequently, doing so on eleven occasions. Only seven winners have not gone on to play international cricket. [lower-alpha 1]
On eleven occasions, the Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year has also been named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for that season. [5] Since 1990, 17 of the 31 winners have also collected the PCA Young Player of the Year award, selected by members of the players' trade union, the Professional Cricketers' Association. [6]
Anil Kumble is an Indian former cricket captain, coach and commentator who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. Widely regarded as one of the best leg spin bowlers in Test Cricket History, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket and is the fourth highest wicket taker of all time as of 2022. In 1999 while playing against Pakistan, Kumble dismissed all ten batsmen in a Test match innings, joining England's Jim Laker as the second player to achieve the feat. Unlike his contemporaries, Kumble was not a big turner of the ball, but relied primarily on pace, bounce, and accuracy. He was nicknamed "Apple" and "Jumbo". Kumble was selected as the Cricketer of the Year in 1993 Indian Cricket, and one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year three years later. Kumble was a member of the Indian team that was one of the joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, which the title was also shared with Sri Lanka.
Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer. He represented Sri Lanka in 134 Test matches, 404 ODI matches and 56 T20I matches between 2000 and 2015. He mostly played as a wicket-keeper-batter. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm off spinner, although he rarely bowled.
Andrew Symonds was an Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two World Cup winning squads. Symonds was a part of the team that won both the 2003 Cricket World Cup, and four years later the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Symonds played as a right-handed, middle order batsman and alternated between medium pace and off-spin bowling. He was also notable for his exceptional fielding skills.
Charlotte Marie Edwards is an English former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty20 Internationals for England between 1996 and 2016. She played domestic cricket in England for East Anglia, Kent, Hampshire and Southern Vipers, as well as overseas for Northern Districts, Western Australia, Perth Scorchers, South Australia and Adelaide Strikers.
Suzannah Wilson Bates is a New Zealand cricketer and former captain of national women cricket team. Born at Dunedin, she plays domestic cricket for the Otago Sparks, as well as playing for the White Ferns. She currently holds the highest score and highest batting average in the New Zealand Women's Twenty20 cricket team. She won the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year 2013. Bates again won ICC Women's ODI and T20I Cricketer of the Year 2016.
Craig Kieswetter is an English professional golfer and former cricketer who appeared in 71 matches for the England cricket team between 2010 and 2013. Born and raised in South Africa, Kieswetter moved to England to complete his education, and began playing county cricket for Somerset in 2007. Three years later, he made his international debut in a One Day International (ODI) against Bangladesh. A wicket-keeper batsman, he was considered a one-day specialist, and all his international appearances came in ODIs or Twenty20 Internationals.
Anya Shrubsole is an English former cricketer who played as a right-arm medium pace bowler and right-handed lower-order batter. She played for England between 2008 and 2022, and played domestic cricket for Somerset, Berkshire, Western Storm, Southern Vipers, Southern Brave and Perth Scorchers. She made her England debut in 2008, and was Player of the Match in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Final. In 2018, she became the first woman to appear on the cover of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. In April 2022, Shrubsole announced her retirement from international cricket. In June 2023, she announced her intention to retire from all forms of cricket after the 2023 season of The Hundred.
Jonathan Marc Bairstow is an English cricketer who plays internationally for England in all formats. In domestic cricket, he represents Yorkshire, and has played in multiple Twenty20 leagues, including for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Tamsin Tilley Beaumont is an English cricketer who currently plays for Kent, The Blaze, Welsh Fire, Melbourne Renegades and England. She plays primarily as an opening batter and occasional wicket-keeper. She has previously played for Surrey Stars, Adelaide Strikers, Southern Vipers, Sydney Thunder and London Spirit.
The Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year is a cricketer selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. The decision is based upon "his or her performances in school's cricket, as reported in Wisden". Wisden has included details of schools cricket as far back as its second edition in 1865, when it carried an account of the match between Eton College and Harrow School. In 1918 and 1919, as no first-class cricket was being played due to the First World War, the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year were chosen from public schools. The first Young Wisden Cricketer of the Year was named in 2008, in the 144th edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, in an effort to "help raise the profile of schools cricket, especially at state schools." The first winner was Jonny Bairstow of St Peter's School, York.
Benjamin Andrew Stokes is an English international cricketer who is the captain of the England Test team and plays for the England team in ODIs & T20Is. In domestic cricket, he represents Durham and has played in multiple Twenty20 leagues around the world. He was part of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup.
Andrew Balbirnie is an Irish cricketer, the current captain of the Ireland cricket team in Test cricket. Balbirnie is a right-handed batsman and an occasional wicket-keeper. He was born in Dublin and was educated at St. Andrew's College. He was one of the 11 cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. In December 2018, he was one of 19 players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season.
Samuel Robert Hain is a cricketer who plays for Warwickshire County Cricket Club and represents England. He is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off spin. He made his debut for the county in the 2013 Yorkshire Bank 40 against Worcestershire.
Natalie Ruth Sciver-Brunt is an English cricketer who represents England in all formats. She was the first cricketer for England to take a hat-trick in a Women's Twenty20 International match. The "Natmeg" shot is named after Sciver, from when she has hit a cricket ball through her legs during a game.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore is an English professional cricketer who plays for Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm off spin.
Bethany Louise Mooney is an Australian professional cricketer who plays for the national cricket team as a batter in all three formats of the game. At the domestic level, she plays as a wicket-keeper-batter for Western Australia and Perth Scorchers. In March 2020, at the conclusion of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020, she became the world's number one batter in Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket.
Mohammad Rizwan is a Pakistani international cricketer who has represented Pakistan in international cricket since 2015 and captains Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans. He is widely regarded as one of the best wicket-keeper batters to have played for Pakistan.
Oliver Edward Robinson is an English professional cricketer who plays internationally for the England Test cricket team. In domestic cricket, he represents Sussex, having previously played for Yorkshire and Hampshire. He made his Test debut in 2021, and plays as a right-arm medium fast bowler.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz is a Bangladeshi international cricket player who plays Tests and One Day Internationals (ODIs) for the Bangladesh national team. A bowling-all-rounder, he is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler. In November 2018, against the West Indies, he took the best match figures for a Bangladesh bowler in a Test match. In February 2021, he scored his maiden century in Tests against the West Indies. In the same series, he became the fastest bowler for Bangladesh, in terms of matches, to take 100 wickets in Test cricket, doing so in his 24th match. As of May 2021, he is the No. 2 ODI bowler in ICC Rankings, becoming the third Bangladeshi bowler ever to hold that position; the other two being Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak.
Oliver John Douglas Pope is an English professional cricketer who plays for the England cricket team and Surrey County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batter who occasionally plays as a wicket-keeper. He made his Test debut in 2018.