Virat Kohli named leading cricketer in the world
Wednesday 5 April 2017 09:51, UK
Chris Woakes, Ben Duckett and Toby Roland-Jones have been named among Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year.
The English trio were named along with Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Younus Khan in this year's list.
Virat Kohli was named leading cricketer in the world, while Ellyse Perry was named world's leading women's cricketer.
Elsewhere in this year's Wisden, editor Lawrence Booth reflects on England's stalled progress in Tests, judges that Alastair Cook chose "the right time to go" when resigning as captain, and sympathises with Eoin Morgan's controversial decision not to tour Bangladesh on security grounds.
It is the identity of the annual Cricketers of the Year which is most eagerly-awaited, however, and no surprise that Woakes is among them after his hugely-successful past 12 months.
Wisden notes: "This was the year Chris Woakes announced himself as an international-class all-rounder.
"He took 26 wickets at 16 apiece in four Tests against Pakistan - only Abdul Qadir has managed more in a series between the sides - and contributed regular runs down the order.
"His unbeaten 95 in the one-day international against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge was a world record for a batsman at number eight or below."
Duckett's inclusion, in a category framed around impact on the previous English summer, is a reminder of his prolific 2016 season rather than subsequent winter struggles on his maiden international tour of the sub-continent.
Misbah, meanwhile, is congratulated on his leadership at the age of 42 which took Pakistan to the top of the world rankings via a 2-2 Test draw referenced as "one of the most riveting series in England for years".
Roland-Jones capped a memorable summer with his Lord's hat-trick on the final evening of the Specsavers County Championship campaign to grab Middlesex's first title in 23 years from under the noses of back-to-back winners Yorkshire.
As for England's 4-0 series defeat in India, Booth writes: "At Mumbai, they made 400, and lost by an innings; and they also lost by an innings at Chennai, after racking up 477, then conceding the highest total in their 983-Test history.
"A trip to India is a tough gig, especially when Virat Kohli has a glint in his eye and a score to settle. But 759-for-seven tough? Not even President Trump's most outrageous alternative fact could salvage that."
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