The Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year is an annual cricket award, presented to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English county cricket. The award has been presented since the 1950 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the Cricket Writers' Club. Only players that are qualified to represent the England cricket team, and are aged under 23 on 1 May of the awarding year, are eligible for the prize. With the exception of 1986, when a joint award was made, the accolade has been presented to one individual each season. The award has been described by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as "prestigious". [1] Although not a firm rule, once a player has won the award, they are considered ineligible to receive it in the future. [2]
Archie Ledbrooke, a sports reporter for the Daily Mirror and the first treasurer of the Cricket Writers' Club, came up with the idea for the award. It was first presented in 1950, when Roy Tattersall of Lancashire was the recipient. In 1986, the vote was tied, and the award was made jointly to Ashley Metcalfe of Nottinghamshire and James Whitaker of Leicestershire. The 1995 winner, Andrew Symonds, went on to make over 200 international appearances for Australia, but at the time of his award was eligible to play for England, as he was born in Birmingham. [3] As of 2021 [update] , representatives of seventeen of the eighteen first-class cricket counties have won the award; [4] no player from Worcestershire has ever won. Yorkshire players have collected the award most frequently, doing so on eleven occasions. Only seven winners have not gone on to play international cricket. [lower-alpha 1]
On eleven occasions, the Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year has also been named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for that season. [5] Since 1990, 19 of the 35 winners have also collected the PCA Young Player of the Year award, selected by members of the players' trade union, the Professional Cricketers' Association. [6]
Anil Kumble is an Indian former cricket player, coach and commentator who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. Widely regarded as one of the best leg spinners and one of the greatest bowlers in Test Cricket History, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket and was the third highest wicket taker of all time at the time of his retirement in 2008. In 1999 while playing against Pakistan, Kumble dismissed all ten batsmen in a Test match innings, joining England's Jim Laker as the second player to achieve the feat. Unlike his contemporaries, Kumble was not a big turner of the ball, but relied primarily on pace, bounce, and accuracy. He was nicknamed "Apple" and "Jumbo". Kumble was selected as the Cricketer of the Year in 1993 Indian Cricket, and one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year three years later. Kumble was a member of the Indian team that was one of the joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, which the title was also shared with Sri Lanka.
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is a retired Antiguan cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team between 1974 and 1991. Usually batting at number three in a dominant West Indies side, Richards is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Richards was part of the squads which won the 1975 Cricket World Cup and 1979 Cricket World Cup and finished as runners up in the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara is a Sri Lankan former professional cricketer who represented Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015. A former captain in all formats. He was born in Matale, Central Province. In first-class cricket, he played for Nondescripts Cricket Club from 1997–98 to 2013–14 and for Surrey County Cricket Club from 2015 to 2017. Sangakkara is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He was a key part of the Sri Lankan squads which won the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship, 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and 2014 T20 World Cup.
Michael John Clarke is an Australian former cricketer. He was captain of the Australian cricket team in both Test and One Day International (ODI) between 2011 and 2015, leading Australia to victory in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He also served as captain of the Twenty20 International (T20I) side between 2007 and 2010. With his time representing Australia, Clarke won multiple ICC titles with the team: the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2015 Cricket World Cup which he was the winning captain, and the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy.
Andrew Symonds was an Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two World Cup–winning squads. Symonds was a part of the team that won both the 2003 Cricket World Cup and, four years later, the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Symonds played as a right-handed, middle-order batsman and alternated between medium pace and off-spin bowling. He was also notable for his exceptional fielding skills.
Charlotte Marie Edwards is an English former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty20 Internationals for England between 1996 and 2016. She played domestic cricket in England for East Anglia, Kent, Hampshire and Southern Vipers, as well as overseas for Northern Districts, Western Australia, Perth Scorchers, South Australia and Adelaide Strikers.
Timothy James Murtagh is a retired English-born Irish cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club.
Craig Kieswetter is an English professional golfer and former cricketer who appeared in 71 matches for the England cricket team between 2010 and 2013. Born and raised in South Africa, Kieswetter moved to England to complete his education, and began playing county cricket for Somerset in 2007. Three years later, he made his international debut in a One Day International (ODI) against Bangladesh. A wicket-keeper batsman, he was considered a one-day specialist, and all his international appearances came in ODIs or Twenty20 Internationals.
Anya Shrubsole is an English former cricketer who played as a right-arm medium pace bowler and right-handed lower-order batter. She played for England between 2008 and 2022, and played domestic cricket for Somerset, Berkshire, Western Storm, Southern Vipers, Southern Brave and Perth Scorchers. She made her England debut in 2008, and was Player of the Match in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Final. In 2018, she became the first woman to appear on the cover of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. In April 2022, Shrubsole announced her retirement from international cricket. In June 2023, she announced her intention to retire from all forms of cricket after the 2023 season of The Hundred.
Jonathan Marc Bairstow is an English cricketer who plays internationally for England in all formats as a right-handed wicket-keeper-batter. In domestic cricket, he has played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club since 2009. He has also played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Tamsin Tilley Beaumont is an English cricketer who currently plays for Kent, The Blaze, Welsh Fire, Melbourne Renegades and England. She plays primarily as an opening batter and occasional wicket-keeper. She has previously played for Surrey Stars, Adelaide Strikers, Southern Vipers, Sydney Thunder and London Spirit.
Benjamin Andrew Stokes is an English international cricketer who is the captain of the England Test team and plays for the England team in ODIs and T20Is. Stokes is regarded as one of England's greatest all-rounders in the history of the sport. In domestic cricket, he represents Durham and has played in multiple Twenty20 leagues around the world. He was part of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup.
Andrew Balbirnie is an Irish cricketer, the current captain of the Ireland cricket team in Test cricket. Balbirnie is a right-handed batsman and an occasional wicket-keeper. He was born in Dublin and was educated at St. Andrew's College. He was one of the 11 cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. In December 2018, he was one of 19 players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season.
Samuel Robert Hain is a cricketer who plays for Warwickshire County Cricket Club and represents England. He is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off spin. He made his debut for the county in the 2013 Yorkshire Bank 40 against Worcestershire.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore is an English professional cricketer who plays for Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm off spin.
Thomas Benjamin Abell is an English first-class cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club.
Shai Diego Hope is a Barbadian cricketer, who plays as a wicketkeeper/batsman for the West Indies cricket team. He is also the current ODI captain of the Windies. In June 2018, he was named the Men's Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year and the ODI Cricketer of the Year at the annual Cricket West Indies' Awards. The following year, he was named the CWI ODI Player of the Year. He is generally regarded as one of the best ODI batsmen in the contemporary cricketing world. Hope has also twice been named, for both 2020 and 2022, in the ICC ODI Team of the Year.
Oliver Edward Robinson is an English professional cricketer who plays internationally for the England Test cricket team. In domestic cricket, he represents Sussex, having previously played for Yorkshire and Hampshire. He made his Test debut in 2021, and plays as a right-arm medium-pace bowler. He made a comeback in test cricket against India in the 4th test at Ranchi after a long break from injury. Robinson holds the unfortunate record for the most expensive over ever bowled in the English County Championship, conceding 43 against Leicestershire in June 2024.
Oliver John Douglas Pope is an English professional cricketer who plays for the England cricket team and Surrey County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batter who occasionally plays as a wicket-keeper. He made his Test debut against India in 2018.
The Cricket Writers' Club County Championship Player of the Year is an annual cricket award, presented to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in the County Championship, England's first-class cricket competition. The award has been presented since the 2012 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the Cricket Writers' Club, an association open to "recognised correspondents of newspapers and periodicals and on radio and television". Any male player competing in the County Championship is eligible.