Wisden has named outgoing England Test captain Joe Root as the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2022 edition of the Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack, which was published this week.
The Englishman had a magical 2021, scoring a whopping 1708 runs at an average of 61.00. Root was England’s lone warrior as the Three Lions suffered one of their worst phases in the longest format of the game, losing to India twice and being humiliated 4-0 in the Ashes. Their batting was especially poor, as the side did not receive any substantial contributions from any batsman barring Root, making his record even more special.
The 30-year old recently stepped down from his position as England Test captain after leading the side in 64 Test matches, the most for an Englishman. He captained the side for five years and continued to grow as a batsman as well, as he found his peak last year. His record of 1,708 runs in 2021 are bettered only by Sir Viv Richards and Mohammed Yousuf, who achieved the feat in 1976 and 2006, respectively.
Meanwhile, India’s successful tour of England has resulted in Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah being named as two of Wisden’s five cricketers of the Year, an honour that can be obtained only once in a player’s career. Their impactful performances in the English home season ensured that the dynamic duo received the honour.
“Jasprit Bumrah was central to India’s two Test wins last summer, taking three for 33 on the final afternoon at Lord’s, then thrillingly bowling Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow in successive overs to hasten his team to victory at The Oval.
Rohit Sharma was at the heart of his side’s 2-1 lead over England, and played a starring role with the bat at Lord’s, where he made an elegant 83 in treacherous conditions,“
the Almanack read.
New Zealand opener Devon Conway, Oval Invincibles’ Proteas all-rounder Dane van Niekerk, and England’s Ollie Robinson made up the rest of the top 5.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan was announced as the Leading T20 cricketer of the year, for his record-breaking season in the shorter format.
