2019 was a memorable year in cricket which featured a fantastic World Cup in England and an Ashes series that went down the wire, while Test cricket returned to Pakistan for the first time in 10 years. Here is a look at the five leading players of the year following their performances on the field across the 12 months.
Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes was recently named as the ICC Player of the Year for 2019 so it is no surprise that the England all-rounder is on this list.
It was Stokes’ knock in the World Cup final which helped the hosts win the tournament for the first time. He also produced one of the greatest Ashes innings ever at Headingley when he scored 135 not out to keep the series alive back in the summer.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith topped the standings for runs during the 2019 Ashes series in England with 774. The Australian was 333 runs ahead of anyone else on that list. It was an incredible series with the bat for Smith who was even forced to miss the third Test after suffering from concussion.
Australia have Smith to thank for helping them to retain the Ashes. The former Baggy Green captain scored four fifties at the World Cup, including an 85 against England in the semi-final but his side were beaten by the eventual winners.
Virat Kohli
India’s Virat Kohli ended 2019 as the number-one-ranked batsman in Test and ODI cricket. The last 12 months have been a year of records for India’s captain including when he became the fastest batsman in terms of innings to score 11,000 ODI runs.
One of the highlights of 2019 for Kohli was his unbeaten score of 254 against South Africa in the first Test in Pune. That was the Indian’s seventh double century in Test cricket.
Kohli is going to be a key player for India at the T20 World Cup in 2020 where they are one of the favorites with the bookmakers. For more information on betting tips for that tournament and the live cricket India has to offer generally, betting and casino site ComeOn! provides an explanation on how to place a bet on Indian cricket matches.
Pat Cummins
Right-arm fast bowler Pat Cummins was named as the Test Cricketer of the Year for 2019. He started the year strongly with a 10-wicket haul in the first Test against Sri Lanka, while he also finished the two Test matches as the man of the series.
It was in the Ashes where Australia’s vice-captain showed how important he is to his national team. He ended that series as the leading wicket-taker with 29 across the five Tests and an average of 19.62.
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah became the second-fastest player in history to reach 100 ODI wickets for India in 2019. He is currently the number one ranked bowler in the world in the ODI game.
Bumrah was India’s leading wicket-taker at the World Cup where he had 18 dismissals, which was enough to see him included in the team of the tournament.
The right-arm fast bowler plays all formats of the game and he proved in 2019 that he is one of the most dangerous to come up against in the world today.
With a great year ahead in 2020, it is going to be fascinating to see who ends the next 12 months as the five stars of the sport.