Saim nominated for Emerging Cricketer of Year award

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s white-ball sensation Saim Ayub is among the four nominees for the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award.

He has been picked in the category following his splendid performance in white-ball cricket. He picked the Player of the Series Award during Pakistan’s 3-0 drubbing of South Africa in the one-day series. Saim cracked two centuries in three innings.

The other three cricketers are Gus Atkinson (ENG), Shamar Joseph (WI), Kamindu Mendis (SL).

England’s Gus Atkinson enjoyed a memorable start to his Test career, and is joined on the shortlist by Pakistan’s multi-format run-scorer Saim Ayub, West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph and record-breaking Sri Lankan batter Kamindu Mendis.

Elsewhere, the ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year pits four leading short-format talents against each other for the coveted title. The nominees are South African all-rounder Annerie Dercksen, Scotland’s Saskia Horley, India’s Shreyanka Patil and Ireland’s Freya Sargent.

The ICC Awards 2024 comprises 12 individual awards, with shortlists in nine categories being revealed by the ICC from 28 to 30 December.

Shortlists have been drawn up by a specialist panel of cricket writers and broadcasters, who selected the nominees according to on-field performances and overall achievements in international cricket throughout the calendar year.

Other categories which will be celebrated in the ICC Awards 2024 include the ICC Men’s and Women’s Associate Cricketers of the Year and the ICC Umpire of the Year.

In addition to the individual awards, five ICC Teams of the Year will be also decided by the ICC Voting Academy, identifying the standout XIs across men’s and women’s international cricket during the calendar year.