The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced the winners of its annual awards for England cricketers, supported by Waitrose.
The awards, which recognise outstanding individual performances in all formats of international cricket over the last 12 months, were presented at a celebration dinner in Leeds this evening.
- JOE ROOT: Named as England’s Test Cricketer of the Year and Limited Overs Cricketer of the Year, Yorkshire’s Joe Root was also voted Men’s Player of the Year by England fans. It was the second year in a row Root has won the England’s men’s award recognising a 12 month period which saw him score two centuries in England’s Ashes triumph last summer, four ODI centuries and finish the recent World T20 tournament in India as his side’s leading run-scorer. Root beat off competition from fellow nominees Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes for the Test cricket award with Jos Buttler and David Willey his rivals for the Limited Overs award.
- ANYA SHRUBSOLE: Somerset’s Anya Shrubsole won the England Women’s Cricketer of the Year award for the first time – her reward for a successful year which saw her take 32 wickets across all formats including a 4-19 spell in last summer’s Women’s Ashes series. Heather Knight and Sarah Taylor were the other nominees for the award.
- CHARLOTTE EDWARDS, who recently announced her retirement from international cricket after 20 years as an England player, won the Women’s Player of the Year award voted for by England fans.
- CALLUM FLYNN: The Disability Cricketer of the Year award recognised the starring role Callum Flynn played in helping the England Physical Disabilities squad to victory in the inaugural Physical Disabilities World Cup in Bangladesh last autumn. A talented schoolboy cricketer who was previously in Lancashire’s county-age-group squads, Callum needed a titanium knee replacement to continue his cricket career after being diagnosed with bone-cancer when he was 14-years old.
- DAN LAWRENCE: Essex batsman Dan Lawrence won the England Development Programme Cricketer of the Year award after a year which saw him score 712 runs for England Under 19s and also become Essex’s youngest ever centurion in First Class cricket when he made a hundred against Surrey while still only 17 years-old.
- DAVID LLOYD: Sky Sports Commentator David Lloyd was presented with the ECB’s Special Achievement Award in honour of a cricket career which has spanned more than 50 years and included spells as an England Test player, England Coach, Lancashire captain and coach, a First Class Umpire and as a summariser for BBC Radio’s Test Match Special.
ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison, said: “It’s been a remarkable year for our international teams – the Women’s Ashes attracted record attendances and unprecedented levels of media interest, our physical disability team won the inaugural Physical Disability World Cup in Bangladesh, and our men’s team regained the Ashes, won a major Test series in South Africa, and reached the final of the World T20 tournament.
“Each of the players honoured tonight has made a big contribution to England cricket, helping to win matches and to inspire a wider audience and deserves the highest praise.”
“The recognition for David Lloyd, with the ECB Special Achievement Award, is also richly deserved. Bumble is one of the game’s greatest servants and finest characters. He is pretty much unique, having given so much to cricket in so many different ways; as a player, coach, captain, umpire and commentator. This award is a wonderful way to salute his extraordinary career.”
“My thanks also to the England teams’ partner Waitrose for their continued support for these awards and to the cricket media for their assistance with the judging process.”
