Joe Root (Image Credits: Twitter)
Joe Root (Image Credits: Twitter)

England cricketer Joe Root has been named the ‘Leading Cricketer in the World’ in the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack based on his stellar 2021 season where he scored 1708 runs in Test matches.

The tally is the third-highest ever in a single calendar year after the likes of Mohammad Yousuf (1788) and Viv Richards (1710). Root’s 2021 record will go down as one of the best-ever in English cricket where he single-handedly carried the batting of the England Test team.

Root rose above the struggles of England’s Test side to produce one of the all-time great performances in a calendar year,” Wisden editor Lawrence Booth said.

Joe Root
Joe Root had a great year as a batter but a poor one as the skipper of a weak England side. Credits: Twitter

Although Root had an incredible year as a batter, his record as the Test captain took a severe beating. The English team was defeated 0-4 in the recent Ashes and they also lost 0-1 to West Indies in a 3-match Test series.

Following the chain of events, Root was pressured into stepping down as the Test captain. England hasn’t announced their new captain for the red-ball team as of yet.

Lizelle Lee named Leading Women’s player

South African women batter Lizelle Lee was named as the leading women’s player in the world after she averaged a whopping 90.28 in ODIs last year while opening for the Proteas squad.

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Lizelle Lee
Lizelle Lee smashed a career-best score of 132 in 2021 against India. Image source- gsport.co.za

Notably, New Zealand batter Devon Conway, Indian players Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma, English pacer, Ollie Robinson, and South African women’s skipper, Dane van Niekerk were named as the Wisden’s five Cricketers of the year.

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