The best of them all
The Electrolux International Cricketer of the Year award will go to the player who has consistently performed well during the period in question (September 2002 to August 2003)
Wisden Cricinfo staff
29-Oct-2003
The Electrolux International Cricketer of the Year award was for the player who, in the eyes of the jury, was the most consistent performer during the period in question (September 2002 to August 2003). The results are:
The winner
Ricky Ponting
Ponting's season saw him make a profusion of runs in a variety of conditions, at a rate that, more often than not, exceeded the expectations of the world-beating team of which he is a part, and which he captains in the shorter version of the game. His seven Test centuries in the year came in clusters of red-hot form: two in a three-Test series against Pakistan, first in the sticky heat of Colombo and then in the inferno of Sharjah. Another two came in the first two Tests of the Ashes series to help Australia surge to an early lead. Then there were three in a row against West Indies in April and May, including his first double-century in Test cricket.
Ricky Ponting
Ponting's season saw him make a profusion of runs in a variety of conditions, at a rate that, more often than not, exceeded the expectations of the world-beating team of which he is a part, and which he captains in the shorter version of the game. His seven Test centuries in the year came in clusters of red-hot form: two in a three-Test series against Pakistan, first in the sticky heat of Colombo and then in the inferno of Sharjah. Another two came in the first two Tests of the Ashes series to help Australia surge to an early lead. Then there were three in a row against West Indies in April and May, including his first double-century in Test cricket.
The most spectacular of his knocks came on the greatest stage of them all when he battered India's bowling in the World Cup final to make 140 not out, and made the game a virtual no-contest. He averaged over 75 in Test cricket and nearly 48 in one-day cricket, and made a staggering two-and-a-half thousand international runs in the year. Bowlers the world over can only hope that, when he does take over the Test match captaincy from Steve Waugh, it does something bad to his form.
The other nominees
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Sarwan made only three centuries in the period under consideration - two of them against Bangladesh - but his influence on his team's fortunes, particularly in the shorter version of the game, was remarkable, and he made a number of sterling contributions in both Tests and one-dayers, the worth of which cannot be measured by numbers alone. His third hundred, an innings of 105 against Australia, was one that will long be remembered, for it came when West Indies needed to make 418, a run-chase without precedent in Test history, to prevent their opponents from sweeping the series 4-0.
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Sarwan made only three centuries in the period under consideration - two of them against Bangladesh - but his influence on his team's fortunes, particularly in the shorter version of the game, was remarkable, and he made a number of sterling contributions in both Tests and one-dayers, the worth of which cannot be measured by numbers alone. His third hundred, an innings of 105 against Australia, was one that will long be remembered, for it came when West Indies needed to make 418, a run-chase without precedent in Test history, to prevent their opponents from sweeping the series 4-0.
Sarwan's class as a Test player was never in doubt, but it was in a seven-match series of one-day internationals against India that he demonstrated that he had also come of age as a one-day batsman. He made four scores of over 80, and was instrumental in taking his side to a 4-3 victory. His commitment to the cause of West Indies cricket was never more evident than when, after being hit on the head by Sri Lanka's Dilhara Fernando in a crucial World Cup game, he returned when his team's run-chase began to fall apart, and took them to within six runs of victory. He revealed a talent, like Michael Bevan, for forcing the pace at the end of an innings without risking his wicket, and his ODI average for the year was a Bevan-like 60. One of the best young batsmen in the game - he is only 23 - he was rewarded towards the end of the year with the West Indies vice-captaincy.
Michael Vaughan
Of all cricketers, Vaughan did the most to enhance his reputation in the period under consideration; indeed, he is so well-set now as one of the premier Test batsmen of his era that it is difficult to believe that only 18 months ago he averaged a little over 31 in Test cricket, and was being compared to Michael Atherton for his tenacity and grafting style. Early in 2002, Vaughan opened the innings for England for the first time, a move that was accompanied by a personal decision to bat with more freedom. It paid off immediately, as he made a hundred against Sri Lanka and then three more against India.
Of all cricketers, Vaughan did the most to enhance his reputation in the period under consideration; indeed, he is so well-set now as one of the premier Test batsmen of his era that it is difficult to believe that only 18 months ago he averaged a little over 31 in Test cricket, and was being compared to Michael Atherton for his tenacity and grafting style. Early in 2002, Vaughan opened the innings for England for the first time, a move that was accompanied by a personal decision to bat with more freedom. It paid off immediately, as he made a hundred against Sri Lanka and then three more against India.
But these countries possessed modest bowling attacks, and it was said everywhere that Vaughan's real test would come against Australia in the Ashes. And how he responded! His 177 at Adelaide, 145 at Melbourne, and 183 at Sydney stand among the masterpieces of the age: he not only staged a lone battle against Australia's marauding attack, but dominated it, with batting based on an impeccable technique given expression by attacking purpose and great elegance in execution. Another big hundred against South Africa this July provided further confirmation of his remarkable talents. His position at the forefront of English cricket was confirmed by his appointment, in quick succession, to the captaincy of England's one-day and Test teams.