AGENCIES: Mumbai: International Cricket Council (ICC) has paid a tribute to Rishabh Pant after the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman was named the Emerging Player of the Year on Tuesday. Pant was picked by the ICC’s voting academy for a stellar show in his breakthrough Test year in 2018. Left-handed Pant produced some fine knocks during the voting period and getting off the mark in Test cricket with a six only highlighted his potential. He scored 537 runs with a century and two fifties in eight Tests during the voting period with 40 catches and two stumpings. In three ODIs, he scored 41 runs and took three catches and in eight T20Is scored 114 runs and pouched two catches. On Tuesday, ICC posted a sketch of Pant with Paine family on social media, captioned: “Champion babysitter and champion cricketer. Rishabh Pant is the ICC Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2018!”
Tim Paine and Rishabh Pant were constantly involved in sledging banters during the ongoing four-Test series between India and Australia. In one of the funny exchanges, Paine had asked Pant, “Do you babysit? I can take my wife to the movies while you watch the kids.” A few days later Tim Paine’s wife, Bonnie Paine took to Instagram to share a photo of Pant with her kids and captioned it: “Best babysitter”. Notably, on New Year’s day.
T20I award
Finch, who has been leading Australia in white-ball cricket, was an easy winner of the T20I award after breaking the world record for the highest score for the second time. The 32-year-old had struck 16 fours and 10 sixes during that 76-ball knock to eclipse his own record of 156 against England in Southampton, which had won him the same award for the year 2013-14. The knock in Harare was the second highest in all T20 cricket and his 26 boundary hits the most in a T20I innings. Kumar Dharmasena hoped his award would inspire other Sri Lankan officials. Kumar Dharmasena was voted as Umpire of the Year by international captains and ICC Match Referees, winning the David Shepherd Trophy for the second time.
Fans’ Moment of the Year
Meanwhile, India winning the ICC U19 World Cup in New Zealand has been voted as the Fans’ Moment of the Year with 48 per cent of the votes. Afghanistan’s miracle comeback at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier came in second with 36 per cent votes.
