R Ashwin, Joe Root, Kylie Jamieson nominated for ICC Men's Test Player of the Year 2021

Ravichandran Ashwin. Picture/ AFP

India's spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, England captain Joe Root, New Zealand's all-rounder Kylie Jamieson and Sri Lanka's Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne have been nominated for the ICC Men's Test Player of the Year 2021 award.

One of India's greatest match-winners in the longest format, R Ashwin, again asserted his authority as one of the world's finest spinners in 2021. Apart from his wizardry with the ball, Ashwin also made invaluable contributions with the bat.

The Indian spinner bagged 52 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 16.23 while smashing 337 runs at 28.08 with one century.

England's Test skipper Joe Root, who has scored 1,708 runs in 15 matches with six centuries in 2021, has also been nominated for the award.

The magnitude of Joe Root's sublime form in the year 2021 can be summed up by one simple stat-he has become only the third player in history to aggregate over 1,700 runs in Test cricket in a calendar year. Only Mohammad Yousuf and Sir Vivian Richards stand ahead of him.

New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson who scalped 27 wickets in 5 matches at 17.51 is the other nominee. Another brilliant addition to the Kiwi pace battery, 2021 was the year where Kyle Jamieson emerged as one of the most promising fast bowling prospects in world cricket.

In a seminal year for New Zealand where they emerged as the inaugural ICC World Test Championship winner, against India in the final, Jamieson was the X-factor of their pace attack, brilliantly supplanting and often surpassing the exploits of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner. He was the star performer in Southampton, scalping seven wickets and contributing a handy 21 runs in the first innings, winning the Player of the Match award for his showing.

The last nominee is the Sri Lankan Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne who scored 902 runs in 7 matches at 69.38 with 4 centuries.

A brilliant century in Johannesburg against South Africa, two centuries against Bangladesh in two matches in Pallekele, including a double ton, and a brilliant century against West Indies in Galle were some of the highlights from another stunning year for Karunaratne.

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