The year 2023 was much more about the ODIs. Obviously, it was a World Cup year and the teams wanted to focus on the 50-over format. But in the meantime, the associated nations dominated the shortest format and their performances kept drawing attention. The canvas of the shortest format will get bigger, promising more excitement as we usher into 2024 when top cricketing nations will assemble in the West (West Indies and USA) for the T20 World Cup in June.
Let’s look back and recall some outstanding players who performed astoundingly well in the shortest format in the year gone by.
Here’s CricketNext’s T20I team of the 2023
Muhamed Waseem (UAE): The right-hand batter from the United Arab Emirates emerged as the highest run-getter in T20Is last year, accumulating 810 runs in 22 matches at a strike rate of 162.32. He hammered 6 half-centuries with his best score coming against Afghanistan earlier in February.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND): 2023 will be a year to remember for Jaiswal. Making debuts across two formats of international cricket is a big deal for the youngster and he made some noise with his bat in both of them. From West Indies to South Africa, Jaiswal kept on leaving a mark of his excellence. He played 15 T20Is this year and scored 430 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 159.25. He is one of the Asiad gold medalists and also the only Indian cricketer to score a T20I century in China.
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Suryakumar Yadav (c) (IND): The World No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar rightfully deserves the leadership of this team of the year, for that matter, any T20I side constituted with players from across the globe. 733 runs in 17 innings since January with 2 centuries and 5 half-centuries – that’s Surya’s report card in T20Is. His recent ton came on South African soil where he led the Indian side for the second time in his career and became the third batter in international cricket to get 4 T20I hundreds.
Nicholas Pooran (wk) (WI): Any T20 line-up is incomplete without the Caribbean firepower and here’s Pooran to fill that void. Pooran is a tailor-made batter in the middle-order who knows how to accelerate towards the end of the innings. As a wicket-keeper, he is quick and agile behind the stumps. In 2023, Pooran played 13 games and scored 384 runs. He also took 10 catches and affected a couple of stumpings as well.
Mark Chapman (NZ): After Surya, New Zealand’s Chapman is the next top-scorer on the list from a full-member nation. The middle-order batter has accumulated 576 runs in 21 matches, striking at the rate of 141.87. His best show came against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in April where he scored an unbeaten 104, which was also his maiden hundred in the shortest format.
Rohit Paudel (NEP): Nepal skipper Paudel has had an impressive year with the bat in hand. He scored 403 runs in 15 games at a commendable strike rate of 150 and an average of more than 50. He played his best knock in 2023 against Mongolia in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Sikandar Raza (ZIM): The veteran all-rounder from Zimbabwe may not have played against the top teams but has been top of his game throughout the year in the shortest format. He scored 515 runs in 12 matches and picked up 17 wickets. His back-to-back fifties in the last four innings strengthen his case to be named in the T20I team of the year.
Alpesh Ravilal Ramjani (UGA): The only bowler to go past 50 wickets in T20Is in 2023 is Uganda’s AR Ramjani. He leads the charts of the wicket-takers with 55 scalps to his credit in 30 games. Ramjani registered his best figures of 4 for 9 in the East Africa Cup against Rwanda in August last year.
Arshdeep Singh (IND): The rising India star leads the pace attack in this line-up with 26 wickets from 21 games. His best figures – 3/20 – came against West Indies in Lauderhill in August. Arshdeep has been a regular figure in India’s T20I set-up and stands out being a left-arm pacer.
Martin Akayezu (RWA): Akayezu is the top wicket-taking fast bowler of 2023. The right-hand pacer pocketed 42 wickets in 38 matches with the best figures of 4 for 17, against Ghana at the West Africa Trophy. The former Rwanda Under-19 star first came in the limelight due to his batting heroics against Ghana in 2021 when he scored a 16-ball fifty in a winning cause.
Mukesh Kumar (IND): The last name in this line-up is Mukesh who will also remember 2023 for ages. He made his debut across formats and in return, has delivered satisfying results, especially in the T20Is, taking 10 wickets in 11 matches.
CN’s T20I Team of the Year: Muhamed Waseem (UAE), Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND), Suryakumar Yadav (c) (IND), Nicholas Pooran (wk) (WI), Mark Chapman (NZ), Rohit Paudel (NEP), Sikandar Raza (ZIM), Alpesh Ravilal Ramjani (UGA), Arshdeep Singh (IND), Martin Akayezu (RWA), Mukesh Kumar.
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