He played in the Ashes in Australia but has struggled for fitness of late, missing all three Tests in England's recent series defeat in the West Indies.

In 2020, given his raft of playing commitments, Mitchell and his wife, Amy, moved their two pre-school daughters, Addison and Lily, from Hamilton to Christchurch, where he scored his maiden Test century, against Pakistan in January 2021. Amy’s family is based there, providing a sturdy support network. An injury to Ronchi meant a New Zealand debut in a Twenty20 game against Bangladesh in January 2017, the day after helping Wellington Firebirds win the Super Smash; he was then summoned to New Zealand’s ODI squad for the Chappell-Hadlee series against Australia, only for Latham to keep. Later that year, he won his first Test cap, at the Basin Reserve – Watling was injured – and joined a select group of debut centurions. “It sounds quite strange, but I actually visualised it,” he says. “I was daydreaming about representing New Zealand at the Basin on a nice sunny day…”

Aadya Sharma

Kiwi pair Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell also appear on the list after excelling in the Test series against England, while India women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur rounds out the list following a triumphant tour. Yadav became only the second player to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year in 2022. He also scored two centuries in the format, against England in Nottingham and New Zealand at Mount Maunganui. The most remarkable part of his year, however, was his strike rate, which sits at an incredible 187.43 from 31 innings. Five years of consistently run-scoring for Shrewsbury School, culminating in 2008 when he scored 898 runs at an average of 179.60. He also played for England at the Under-19 World Cup. Rice, Jonathan; Renshaw, Andrew (2011). The Wisden Collector's Guide. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4081-6527-0. Blundell’s efforts in that series were only second to Mitchell’s, who scored 538 runs in the series at an average of 107. He became the 15th New Zealand men’s player to score a Test century at Lord’s, putting on a record 236-run partnership with Blundell, before going on to score 190 in Nottingham. A third century came in Leeds, making Mitchell the fifth New Zealand player to score hundreds in three successive Tests. Only Graham Gooch has scored more runs in a three-match Test series in England, and only he and Don Bradman have scored centuries in each of their first three Tests of a series in England as visiting batters.

But that mattered less than the events of a few months earlier, when – at Old Trafford – he lifted his eyes and sprinted for the line. Australia’s thoroughbred brought the Ashes home, where in his childhood he had remembered them resting.

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referring to Zaheer or Turner. Actually Adelaide was a hoodoo ground for him. In January 1975 he was Across 11 one-day internationals in 2021, Lee hit more runs (632) at a higher average (90.28) than any other batter in the women's game.

team were late to take the field after tea. The whole business, more ridiculous than meaningful, needs no going into here: suffice it to say that in most of He scored a century in all four of England's Test wins last year, hitting six hundreds in total, including two double tons. He scored 1,286 runs for Eton College, and captained the school in 2010, finishing as the leading run scorer on the school's circuit. Conway hit a double century on his Test debut against England in June, before making a crucial 80 in the second Test as New Zealand secured their first series win in England since 1999. was ball-tampering in a match against England in 2006. As a result of that botched, mishandled and in truth rather absurd affair,India's fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and opener Rohit Sharma, New Zealand batter Devon Conway and South Africa women's captain Dane van Niekerk join Robinson on the 2021 list. Stewart’s assessment is regularly recycled, in good times and bad, and Foakes’s England career has had both. He entered his first Test, at Galle in November 2018, full of doubt, only to score a superb century. Then came a lean tour of the Caribbean and, for two years – as England wrestled with the Buttler–Bairstow conundrum – that was that. “In Sri Lanka, I was Man of the Series and on cloud nine, then two games later you’re dropped,” he says. “It can be so up and down. If you allow that to affect you mentally, it’s not going to be helpful.”

The 29-year-old broke the record for the most runs scored in a calendar year across all T20 matches (2,036) and in T20 internationals (1,326) in 2021.

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In Manchester, England – one down with two to play – were 147-5 in reply to South Africa’s 151, when he joined forces with the new captain. They consolidated, before Stokes accelerated. “I was outscoring him until 40 or so. Then he had a hundred when I had about 60. He’s got that extra level. It was amazing to watch.” Foakes finished unbeaten on 113, helping England to a decisive lead of 264. The rescheduled fifth Test, which was postponed after India withdrew over Covid-19 concerns in September, will take place on 1-5 July. The size of Wisden print runs is of considerable interest to collectors as rarity has a very strong influence on the value of individual editions. With a standing ovation from his home crowd ringing in his ears, Blundell’s fame soared. Hours after the victory over West Indies, team-mate Trent Boult photographed him on his way home, still in whites, clutching a souvenir stump at a pedestrian crossing. “I copped a lot for that,” Blundell laughs. “It was one of those moments I wanted to enjoy and make the most of. I still get asked a lot: ‘What were you thinking?’”