In the race for the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award, India's Ravichandran Ashwin stands as the sole Indian nominee among the five contenders. The list is predominantly populated by Australian stars, the champions of the ICC World Test Championship Final in 2023.
Ashwin's nomination comes on the back of an impressive performance, having taken 41 wickets from seven Test matches in the year 2023. Notably, his outstanding form shone during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, where he claimed 35 wickets in four matches. This marks Ashwin's third nomination for the prestigious award, having secured the honor previously in 2016.
Despite his exceptional contributions in the home series, Ashwin faced the surprising exclusion from the Indian playing XI in the WTC Final 2023 against Australia, held in London.
Joining Ashwin in the list are England's Joe Root and Australia's Usman Khawaja and Travis Head. Travis Head, especially, left a lasting impact with his stellar performance in the WTC Final 2023, earning him the Player of the Match title. His remarkable year saw him accumulate 919 runs in 12 matches, making it his best calendar year since his debut. Head continued to make valuable contributions in subsequent series, including the Ashes 2023 and the ongoing Test series against Pakistan.
Usman Khawaja's comeback in the Ashes 2022/23 has been nothing short of prolific. He emerged as the highest run-scorer in Test cricket for the year 2023, amassing 1210 runs from 13 matches, including 3 centuries and 6 half-centuries, at an impressive average of 52.60. However, Khawaja stirred a controversy when the ICC denied his request to display a peace symbol on his kit in solidarity with the lives lost in the Israel and Hamas war.
The Australian duo of Travis Head and Usman Khawaja is anticipated to be the frontrunners for the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2023, given their pivotal roles in winning the WTC Final and successfully defending the Ashes series away from home. Nevertheless, R Ashwin could emerge as a dark horse in this five-way competition.
