2023 was a big year for ODI cricket with several stand out performers. Here is a look at eight players who narrowly missed out on making Wisden’s men’s ODI Team of the Year.
Quinton de Kock
20 innings, 937 runs (46.85), SR: 100.64, 1 50, 4 Hundred, HS: 174
The South African wicketkeeper has announced that he will retire from ODIs ahead of the 2023 World Cup. He achieved this after having a great World Cup season, scoring up to 300 points in the last ODI tournament. That year, he averaged close to 50 RBIs, averaging just over 1 RBI per pitch, but competition for the top spot was fierce. Rohit Sharma’s consistently great starts and Travis Head’s incredible strike rate of 133.17 have earned the South African southpaw a place in this year’s team.
Shubman Gill
29 innings, 1584 runs (63.36), SR: 105.45, 9 fifties, 5 hundred, HS: 208
Shubman Gill had his best year as a batsman in the history of ODI cricket. He crossed the 50-run mark in every other match he played this year and became the fifth Indian to score a double-hundred in an ODI. He narrowly missed out on being named in the Team of the Year as opening partner Rohit Sharma and Australian frontline linchpin Travis Head topped the votes. Gil’s rather disappointing World Cup may have held him back
Sean Williams
9 innings, 720 runs (90), SR: 129.26, 3 fifties, 3 hundred, HS: 1749 innings, 6 wickets (34.66), ER: 4.95, BBI: 3-41
Williams couldn’t stop swinging the bat in a limited number of games this year, most of which came in July’s World Cup qualifiers. Unsurprisingly, he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Williams was also involved with the ball, using his left-arm spin to ensure timely wickets and good control for Zimbabwe. He competed with Darryl Mitchell for fourth place in Wisden’s Men’s ODI Team of the Year. The New Zealander, who averaged 52 points and scored 100 points in 2023, beat Williams thanks to his performances around the world and on the biggest stages, including the World Cup semi-finals.
Aiden Markram
24 innings, 51.65 for 1033 runs, SR: 113.26, 5 fifties, 3 hundred, HS: 17515 innings, 61.57 for 7 wickets, ER: 5.91, BBI: 2-40
Markram had his best year in ODIs in 2023, mastering the middle role to perfection. He scored a staggering 175 against the Netherlands in April and thenled South Africa’s mid-table team at the India World Cup. Markram was also skilled at the occasional off-spin. Despite being faster than Mitchell in terms of strike rate, Markram underperformed against top teams such as England and India (0 bats and 5 minutes in 8 matches against these two teams) and missed out on fourth place. .
KL Rahul
24 innings, 1060 runs (66.25), SR: 87.74, 7 fifties, 2 hundred, HS: 111*
Rahul is this year’s mediocre Indian bankerwho adapted to different situations and circumstances and performed well no matter what happened. He suffered an injury during the IPL, which forced him to stay out for a long time, but he made a spectacular comeback at the Asia Cup and never looked back. Rahul’s competition for the middle-order wicketkeeper-batsman position was Heinrich Claassen. With his incredible strike rate of 140.66, he was impossible to miss.
Marco Jansen
17 innings, 406 runs @ 33,83, SR: 116, 1 fifty, HS: 75*20 innings, 33 wickets @ 29,96, ER: 6 ,37, 1 5-für, BBI: 5-39
Jansen has had a breakthrough year as an all-rounder in seam bowling. South Africa played Jansen at number seven for most of the year, so there were questions about his balance, but with his improved batting skills, on paper there was no need to worry about the team’s length. He was as sharp with the ball as always and secured regular wickets, especially with the new ball. However, he occasionally lacked control (reflected in his 6.37 save percentage), and that was the only major issue that prevented him from earning a spot on the Team of the Year.
Shaheen Afridi
21 innings on April 24th, 42 wickets, ER: 5.59, 1 for 4, 1 for 5, BBI: 5 wins, 54 losses
Afridi averaged 2 wickets per innings in ODIs in 2023. With Pakistan’s bowling attack plagued by injuries, especially in the second half of the year, Afridi was one of the few players to go through the year without missing more than a game. However, despite his stellar numbers and regularly impressive performances, Afridi is not as powerful as he was a few years ago, in stark contrast to India’s fast bowlers, who were all in top form throughout the year. It didn’t seem like it had reached its peak. He failed just a little bit.
Adam Zampa
20 innings, 38 wickets @ 26,31, ER: 5,78, 5 for four, BBI: 4-8
Zampa was the third highest wicket-taker among spinners in men’s ODIs in 2023. The confidence and control he provided was so great that Australia went into the 2023 World Cup with him as their only frontline spinner in conditions that actually suited spin bowling. And he delivered, taking 23 wickets from 11 matches in the World Cup. Unfortunately for Zampa, Ravindra Jadeja is already in the team of the year as an all-rounder and Kuldeep Yadav was the first-choice spinner with 49 wickets at 20.48, so there is no third Twala in the eleven. There was no room for it.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
